A community meal in Hervanta brought people together for food and culture

A community meal for over-65s in Hervanta this spring has been praised by both visitors and organisers. The community meal combined food, fellowship and cultural experiences. Discussions are underway on the future of the community meal.
YSTI ry työntekijöitä istumassa pöydän ääressä
In the photo Tiina Virnes, Aino Anttila and Tanja Juvani of YSTI ry

The community dining experiment has been organised in Hervanta, Tampere, at the premises of Yhdessä Selviytymisen Tuki ry (YSTI ry) on Mondays during spring 2025. The implementation of the community meal has required smooth cooperation between many actors. The food has been leftover from Tredu's educational institution on the same day, which was donated by Pirkanmaan Voimia. Tredu students have in turn transported the food to YSTI ry and YSTI ry has served the food at its premises. The Welfare Development Programme of the City of Tampere has acted as the coordinator of the community meals.

The most important aspect of the community meal was the sense of community and togetherness

During the community meals, visitors were asked about their experiences. Clearly, the most important thing they felt was the sense of community and talking to others. The meal itself came second in importance.

- Community is the most important thing here and food is a plus, of course. It's nice to see other people and to catch up," says Pirjo Haaparanta, a regular at the community meals.

Pia Tauru, Senior Coordinator of YSTI Association, has made the same observation.

- What visitors have liked most is that they can meet others here, although they have of course enjoyed the food too. They have clearly felt that the feeling of inclusion and meeting people is the number one thing. They have also generally liked the communal dining," says Pia.

Pia also notes how the buzz of chatter fills the room during the community meals. She has been pleased to see how even visitors who are strangers to each other talk to each other. Although the meal is mainly aimed at people over 65, some younger visitors have also come, creating a rare cross-generational encounter.

Cultural performances alongside the communal meals delighted visitors

In addition to the meetings and meals, the community meals were also accompanied by cultural performances provided by the City of Tampere, for example in the form of music performances and poetry. The performances were seen as a valuable part of the meal.

- For many visitors, cultural performances have been a wonderful addition, as older people often do not have access to concerts or other cultural activities. Cultural performances at community meals have lowered the threshold to experience culture," says Tiina Virnes, volunteer coordinator of the YSTI network.

In addition to cultural performances, information about the city's services for older people was distributed to the diners. The City of Tampere provided presentations on various cultural services, such as the city's cultural and sports services and cultural pilots for the elderly, and the museum service for the elderly, Konkari, provided information on various cultural groups and services.

The City of Tampere has been very satisfied with the community dining experiment and negotiations are underway to continue.

- The community dining experiment has gone very well and the cooperation with the partners has been very successful from the beginning. Of course, we would like to thank YSTI, Tredu and Voimia for the smooth cooperation. There has clearly been a need for this kind of activity in Hervanta," says Anna Koski, Project Manager of the City of Tampere's Welfare Development Programme.

Further information

Mika Vuori
Program Manager
Phone:
040 806 3132
Text: Sami Siltanen
Photos: Sami Siltanen
Share in social media