Expanding Our Reach Through a Good Cup of Coffee

Crown Center for Senior Living remains true to the purpose of serving Jewish and non-Jewish older adults; particularly those with limited financial resources. Located in an inner suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, Crown Center was founded in 1967 and is home to a significant number of Jewish seniors and also a diverse population, age 62-100, living in one of our 244 apartments.

In addition to Crown Center residents, we welcome seniors from the community to participate in our programs- serving as a community resource and center.

Beyond safe, affordable, secure housing, Crown Center offers a wide array of programs and services free of charge or for a nominal fee, including access to professional social workers, group transportation, gardening, volunteer opportunities, health and wellness programs, Jewish and general educational/cultural programming.

A key component of service provided is the successful kosher dinner program. This social nutrition program serves five meals per week in the Crown Center dining room, and also has an important volunteer delivery component–taking fresh and frozen kosher meals to those who are homebound. Funding is secured through our contract with Mid East Area Agency on Aging, and additional charitable dollars provided by Crown Center, Jewish Federation of St. Louis, and other grant sources.

In order to build upon our success, and to expand our reach further into the community, we recently embarked on a new project, Circle@Crown Cafe.

Jean Millner, Circle@Crown Café Manager “Come for the Coffee, Stay for a Class”

A great day at the Circle@Crown Café “A Gathering Place for Seniors”

An innovative endeavor, the Circle@Crown Café required the renovation and modification of several key interior and exterior areas of the Crown Center facilities. A combination community center and kosher dairy Café–it features tasty, affordable, nutritious options for residents and for people in the surrounding community–especially those who prefer or require a kosher menu. As a complement to the existing kosher dinner program, the new dairy café is open for breakfast and lunch and has become a gathering place for seniors living at Crown Center and from the surrounding community.

Jean Millner, Circle@Crown Cafe Manager reminds us that cooking and preparing meals can be difficult for some seniors and the café bolsters the likelihood that seniors will benefit from good nutrition which can make all the difference in maintaining independence. “Come for the coffee, stay for a class” encourages Millner.

Crown Center Vision: A vibrant and engaged community in which all seniors thrive

Crown Center Mission: Honor Jewish values and tradition; provide affordable, high-quality living and services to enable residents to flourish independently; and create inspiring programming to enable both residents and other community seniors to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. L’Chaim!