OTR SENIOR CENTER
Located in Over-the-Rhine, a block away from Findlay Market, the OTR Senior Center offers a friendly atmosphere where older adults come in, enjoy a meal, socialize and engage in recreation and leisurely activities.
Seniors play games, celebrate holidays together and take group trips to nearby stores and stops. The center is managed and staffed by Meals on Wheels and serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. Bus transportation is also provided, free of charge, to qualifying seniors within the region upon request.
Some seniors go every weekday. It's their home away from home, and they love the feeling they get from being with people who have similar interests and concerns. “It’s family-oriented and that’s what I love about it. It’s the family that I didn’t have,” says Edressa Johnson.
LOCATION DETAILS
ADDRESS
1722 Race St., Cincinnati OH 45202
Located between W. Elder St. and Green St., a block from Findlay Market
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
CONTACT
Cheryl Ware, OTR Senior Center Manager, 513-381-3007
MEALS
Breakfast is served weekdays at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is served at noon. We encourage seniors to let us know if they plan to join us for either meal, or both, by calling the center 513-381-3007. They’re also welcome to walk in without contacting us first. Our daily menus change monthly. View menus here.
Activities and meals are provided at no cost to any adult who is at least 60 years old. We encourage visitors and participants to contribute $1 per meal and they can do so anonymously, but no one is denied a meal if they are unable to contribute.
TRANSPORTATION
We provide group transportation, at no cost, to and from the OTR Senior Center to eligible adults. To learn more about qualifications and to make arrangements, call our transportation team at 513-721-0375.
A WARM AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY SPACE
The OTR Senior Center has a monthly calendar of activities, such as movies, group birthday parties, bingo, trivia quizzes, holidays and more. For instance, every March, the center hosts a Reds Opening Day celebration with baseball-themed decor and engagement before taking front-row seats to the start of the Opening Day Parade. Other times, representatives from local organizations give presentations about information that informs daily decisions, like navigating Medicare.
“From one day to the next you don’t know what we might do, but we know it’ll be good fun and interesting,” says Cheryl Ware, the Senior Center’s director.
Ms. Johnson, from Avondale, likes to socialize, dance and play games there. “Somebody’s always saying or doing something funny here,” she says.
Ms. Johnson also likes the trips to stores and restaurants. And she fondly recalls trips like the city bus tour, when they passed iconic sites—including the Cincinnati Museum Center and Cincinnati Art Museum—then stopped for ice cream.
But more than anything, it’s the relationships that draw Ms. Johnson to the senior center. “We talk to each other. We guide each other. We are interested in each other. It’s just so much love.”
Seniors can also get connected to essential resources through Meals on Wheels, whether it's related to care coordination, health and wellness, independent living assistance or other topics that enable their independence and wellbeing.