By ACSET Community Action Agency

When we think of basic needs, we think food, water, housing and clothing. A less obvious, yet equally important need for every individual is a sense of community. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs categorizes this as a psychological need for “belongingness and love.”

According to Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, there are five stages of needs:

• food, water, warmth and rest
• security and safety
• relationships and friends
• status and feelings of accomplishment
• self-fulfillment

Individuals must fulfill their lower level needs before they can achieve higher level needs. Every person desires to move toward a level of self-fulfillment. However, many people are unable to do this because their lower level needs haven’t been met.

Kent County is home to many agencies who are committed to helping residents meet basic needs, including ACSET Community Action Agency (CAA). CAA’s senior meals program, however, goes beyond delivering food. It provides a sense of community for the many Hispanic and Latin Americans who live in the county.

Nearly 120 seniors from countries like Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic gather daily for a Latin American-inspired meal. They find comfort in the familiar food, shared language and activities and music from their homelands.

“We’ve had some people coming for 20, 25 years,” says Susan Cervantes, assistant director for ACSET CAA “It’s a very family-oriented atmosphere.”

Seniors of any ethnicity are welcome to participate in the program. Participants must be 60 years or older (or have a spouse 60 years or older), live in Kent County and must fill out an application. The meals are served Monday through Friday at noon at the Kent County Human Services Complex at 121 Franklin SE in Grand Rapids.

Your Community in Action! is provided by ASCET Community Action Agency. To learn more about how they help meet emergency needs and assist with areas of self-sufficiency, visit www.communityactionkent.org.