Northside Youth And Senior Service Center Shows Up for North St. Louis: Delivering Meals, Hope, and Community

By Sophia Black, Washington University Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement 2025 St. Louis Fellow

Since 1973,Northside Youth and Senior Service Center (NSYSSC) has served youth, seniors, and adults with disabilities. By meeting the community's needs through youth after-school and summer programs, senior meal delivery, and transportation from its homebase in The Ville neighborhood, NSYSSC - just called “Northside” by neighbors - has become a beacon for the City of St. Louis’ Northside neighborhoods.

Volunteers pack food supplies for NSYSSC Meal on Wheels. Photo from NSYSSC. 

NSYSSC’s senior service program began with congregate meals for seniors and those in need to ensure they had nutritious meals. With Community Development Administration (CDA) funding, NSYSSC’s outreach has grown into a Meals on Wheels program. The funding from the Community Development Block Grants program (CDBG) has helped NSYSSC expand their services to what they have today. 

A major part of NSYSSC’s lifeline for the North St. Louis neighbors they serve is their Meals on Wheels program. Many seniors with disabilities have difficulty leaving their homes. Each weekday, NSYSSC staff deliver hot, nutritious meals to around 300 seniors - a foundational service for seniors in need.

After the May 16th tornado, NSYSSC stepped up in a major way. Entire blocks were left without power, gas, or running water. Even residents who could stay in their homes often couldn’t cook or access basic necessities. Downed trees, debris, and live power lines made streets impassable, cutting off entire neighborhoods. In this moment of crisis, NSYSSC became a lifeline—delivering hot meals and hope directly to doorsteps when it was needed most.

Thanks to its existing footprint and volunteers, NSYSSC leveraged that trusted network and infrastructure. They rapidly scaled up operations, distributing nearly 2,000 meals per day to residents in need! 

Volunteers package meals to deliver to tornado-affected neighbors. Photo from NSYSSC. 

“We’re blessed to be part of a community that holds us close—that’s what allowed us to show up when people needed us most,” said Executive Director Leon Threat. “The outpouring of volunteers was humbling. They helped us rise to the moment, and we’re still here, doing the work that’s left to do.”

When disaster struck, NSYSSC was ready. In the two-week period after the storm, around 80 volunteers stepped up to assist the center with meal delivery. In addition, local restaurants and aid services donated meals to the center at 4120 Maffitt Avenue to distribute.

This was not the first time Northside has stepped up. When the COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a challenge for them to overcome, they served around 400-500 meals per day during the pandemic. Even though this was more than they were typically used to, Northside worked to ensure that their community was taken care of. 

“For Northside, the pandemic acted as a test of resiliency,” said Threat. “We had to do what was needed to keep our neighborhood fed. We were unsure of how they were going to meet the needs of the community, but every day they showed up to serve it.”

NSYSSC’s success with meal delivery during this challenging time gave them the confidence to continue, and that confidence can be seen today in their response to tornado recovery.

NSYSSC’s Meals on Wheels program also acts as a way to branch out into the North St. Louis community to ensure the seniors that reside within this community are healthy and safe. Meal deliveries are sometimes a senior’s few in-person human interactions during the day. So Meals on Wheels also acts as a wellness check to ensure that seniors are also safe within their home -  especially during a crisis like the May 16 tornado and aftermath.  

Through this program, NSYSSC is proving that community is not only who resides in it, but it is also taking care of those who need help.

Looking towards the future, NSYSSC is planning to expand their center to house more programming for youth and seniors. This programming would allow for more youth and senior interaction and continue their goal to act as an intergenerational center.

Today, Northside serves 60 active seniors daily and 70 youth through their summer camp and after school programs. In their current building, Northside utilizes every inch to serve those in need. 

“Our goal of opening a bigger center would allow for more neighbors to be served with built-in accessibility measures to be truly open to all,” Threat said.