This inviting setup is the work of the Live Oak Senior Nutrition and Service Center, which hosts these lunches. Its goal is to provide a welcoming environment and appetizing meal for seniors to congregate and share a meal—and to do so for the low price of a suggested $2 donation.

Research shows that when seniors eat alone, they are less likely to eat a nutritious meal. According to the American Dietetic Association, two-thirds of senior citizens living alone have poor nutritional habits. Nutrition is the key to the prevention of diseases, increased longevity and even better mobility.

Just think of your own life, says director Debbie Kranefuss. When you eat with someone else, the occasion becomes a social activity and food is eaten in a leisurely fashion. In contrast, when people dine alone, they are more likely to grab the quickest thing for convenience and gulp it down.

A milestone for the center is its upcoming 30th anniversary in May and the distinction of being the first agency in Santa Clara County to sponsor a nutrition program. Originally, the seniors met in the basement of the church; they moved upstairs three years ago, a much-welcome change.

Before lunch there's always an activity or some form of entertainment. Recently it was a word-puzzle game during which everyone took turns guessing letters to form a word signifying a current event. After one particularly onerous word for which nary a letter could be found after repeated guesses, someone yells out, "Are you sure the alphabet's in there?"

Sometimes there's even a mixup or two, like when the director adds one too many letters, thus confusing everyone. But nobody minds and everyone gets a big laugh out of the mistake.

People are seated in various mixes of gender configurations, and there's even one table of Persian women on this particular day. There's a great deal of camaraderie between the tables, though, and everyone is very friendly.

Some who frequent the center started out as volunteers, like Barbara Baggerly, who first saw a notice in the paper asking for drivers. That was 15 years ago, and up until the first of the year she drove four other ladies to lunch. After five eye surgeries, though, she keeps her driving to a minimum and only takes one other woman home.

Dressed in a smart pants suit of bright blue that complements her eyes, Baggerly appreciates the companionship.

"It helps me get out of the house. I have friends I've met here and enjoy the programs and food, especially since they changed cooks," she explains. Her husband, the venerable John Baggerly, died a couple of years ago, and it can get lonely at home. It also gives her son a reprieve from his role as caregiver as "it's no fun if I'm always around, and it's good being around people my own age."

The two live together now, an arrangement that works out well since her son is recovering from open-heart surgery. But both have had to make adjustments. "It's important not to be a mother all the time," she says, stressing the words "all the time" to emphasis the difficulty of such a task.

Baggerly moved to Los Gatos in 1936 when the population was only 3,496, just one of the many statistics she readily pulls out during the course of the conversation. She raised her four children here in a home she inherited from her in-laws and which is on an acre of land. She notes the changes the town has experienced from a sleepy little town where people had summer cottages to its current state since "the yuppies moved in and changed everything"—most notably by erecting huge two-story mansions on the tiny lots.

She keeps busy sewing for her 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, as well as visiting with friends she's made during her many years living in Los Gatos. But still she looks forward to her visits to the center two to three times a week.

One of the biggest myths regarding the center is that seniors need to be poor to take advantage of the services. Nothing could be further from the truth. Center staff members are trying to get the word out that everyone is welcome and it's not targeted toward any specific group.

The center is one of 32 funded by Santa Clara County and is budgeted for 40 meals per day. However, more than 200 seniors take advantage of the lunch program. Some dine at the center every day and others more on an occasional basis.

The center also receives money through donations and grants. In addition, a yearly golf tournament sponsored by the Pavicich family raises money.

The goal of the center is much more than a meal, though—it's to allow seniors a place to socialize and have fun.

One of the debilitating aspects of getting older is the isolation, particularly if a spouse dies. Another hurdle is being dependent on others, especially for those who've never experienced it before.

"People don't want to be perceived as needing someone's help," says Kranefuss.

Some reluctant seniors might decide to try the center once—soon they start going a couple of days a week and then it becomes a regular part of their life.

Family members can notice a difference once attendance at the center becomes a regular routine. "They say they are more energetic and feel better about themselves," says Kranefuss.

There are three different main courses: the regular entree, which is on a seven-week rotating basis; a chef's salad with turkey, ham or cheese, if ordered with advance notice; or that good old regular standby, the cheeseburger.

The food is cooked offsite by a catering company and brought to the center, where it's kept warm. Volunteers serve the meal and clean up afterwards.

Volunteers help out in other ways as well. There are about 30 volunteers available for transportation to the center as well as to local doctor's appointments. Transportation is a big concern for seniors, and the center tries to help as much as possible.

There's a diverse range of entertainment, consisting of music, like the swing band that regularly performs, or the frequent holiday and birthday parties. There are health programs and blood-pressure screening certain days.

Bingo is played twice a week, with small prizes for the winner. A crafts group gets together to knit and crochet, and the items are then sold at the annual holiday craft boutique.

The different senior centers in Los Gatos work together to avoid duplicating services. Literature is available outlining what's available and by whom, since navigating the different agencies can be difficult and confusing.

Our conception of an older person keeps getting pushed further out so that now the average age of those attending the center is more like 75 and over, says Kranefuss. Technically, however, those 60 and older can attend.

Some couples attend together, like Leo and Lolo Walker. Lolo has volunteered at the center for 27 years, Leo for many years as well. Leo quickly pointed out that he was the one who came up with the word "maverick" during the puzzle game, a reference to the surfing championship taking place that day.

Although Leo likes the food well enough, his comments are tempered by the fact that he's a chef. He cooked at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Los Gatos where Jesuit priests began their training for the priesthood. He's retired now, but worked there for 39 years and oversaw a staff of two cooks and additional helpers. So Leo knows full well the importance of nutrition and diet.

It is through the interconnectedness of individuals that the lives of seniors can be enriched, precisely what the center seeks to offer. It's like the theme song to Cheers—it's nice to go somewhere "where everybody knows your name." But even more important, it's nice to go somewhere where people care.