ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Seniors First Neighborhood lunch program at the Englewood Neighborhood Center is a gathering place for many seniors in the area.

What You Need To Know

  • The Seniors First Neighborhood lunch program is where memories have been made

  • The lunch program was stopped for more than a year due to the pandemic

  • But this month saw the return of the program and "family reunions"

“I’ve been coming here since 2005, every Monday through Friday,” Aida Rodriguez said.

That's 15 years of memories Rodriguez, 77, made at the Seniors First Neighborhood lunch events at the Englewood Neighborhood Center.

She enjoys playing Bingo the most.

“We’re basically a family at this point,” Rodriguez said. “We hang out and share laughs. It gives us life.”

All that was put on pause for more than a year as Seniors First stopped its Neighborhood Lunch Program because of the global pandemic.

It took a mental and physical toll on Rodriguez and many of the seniors at the Neighborhood Center.

“I would speak to the floor mats, because I didn’t have anyone to talk to being shut in all the time,” Rodriguez said.

In June, the program began again and so did the “family reunions” at the Englewood Neighborhood Center.

“We’re so happy to see each other,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t know if anyone was even still alive. I’m just excited.”