Flowing Wells senior meals program serves Tucson

Nourishing seniors at Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona is investing $45,000 to help Tucson seniors at the Flowing Wells Senior Meal Project enjoy nutritious meals and socialization through 2027.

September 21, 2026 | 1 minute read

Three days a week, the dining hall at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center in Tucson fills with the smell of a hot lunch and the sound of old friends catching up. The program, known as “A Plate Full of Care,” provides lunch and social activities for older adults every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For many of the approximately 50 seniors who gather there, it’s an opportunity for a meal and to see familiar faces.

Ellie Towne, a community leader and longtime president of the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association and Community Coalition for whom the center is named, has spent years working to keep the program available to local seniors in collaboration with Community Coalition and GAP Ministries, which prepares meals through its GAP Kitchen.

As a UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona community engagement leader, I heard the program was at risk of closing due to a lack of funding and saw an opportunity to help. Once I learned about Ellie’s work and what this program means to Tucson seniors, our team knew we had to get involved.

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona committed $45,000 to the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association and Community Coalition, helping ensure the Plate Full of Care program can continue serving seniors through 2027. Supporting a local program like this feeds directly into our mission of helping people live healthier lives.

"$45,000 will go a long way in feeding people."

Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association and Community Coalition

The investment addresses two needs that both have a critical impact on seniors’ health: food insecurity and social isolation. About 1 in 10 Arizona seniors faces food insecurity, and Pima County’s overall food insecurity rate outpaces both the state and national averages.¹Programs like Plate Full of Care also help combat social isolation, a risk factor linked to depression and cognitive decline among older adults.²

Our commitment to the Flowing Wells Senior Meal Project builds on our efforts to support the Tucson community, reflecting our approach to meeting local needs by collaborating with trusted local leaders.