This video was reported and produced by Niamh Larkin.
The Silver Platter program partners local food trucks and restaurants with Hillsborough County’s Department of Aging Service. Since the summer of the coronavirus pandemic, seniors get one to two meals a week delivered to their homes.
With over dozens of food trucks, the county has provided quality meals to seniors enrolled in its home-delivery program. Carlos Carrillo of Coco’s Food Truck, shares why he decided to partner up with the county to help out with the program.
“Tampa Bay Food Trucks, an industry partner that finds work for local food trucks, contacted me asking me if I wanted to give back to the community and I said absolutely.”
Since the program started, Coco’s Food Truck has partnered up with Silver Platter to work with the county’s staff dietician to ensure the meals provided meet the state guidelines. Meals have included mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, baked chicken, fresh orange and dinner rolls.
Carrillo says that providing these meals involve an early-morning visit to the food market since they make everything from scratch. After the meals are prepared, they get loaded onto food trucks for delivery later in the afternoon.
“My favorite thing is obviously that it’s helping the at risk elderly population”, Carrillo says, “and making sure that we are providing them with a safe meal and it’s giving us the opportunity to give back to the community.”
To be eligible to receive the home delivered meals seniors must be aged sixty or older, be homebound due to illness or disability, cannot afford to eat adequate or nutritional meals, have limited mobility, or have a disabling illness or physical condition that requires nutritional support.
To find out more about the Silver Platter program call the Hillsborough County Department of Aging Services at 813-272-5250.
