CITYMEALS ON WHEELS DELIVERS 14,000 CHRISTMAS MEALS TO HOMEBOUND OLDER NEW YORKERS

200 Volunteers Spent Christmas Morning Delivering Nutritious Meals
and Spreading Cheer to Their Isolated Older Neighbors

(December 25, 2024 - New York, NY) - This Christmas, Citymeals on Wheels delivered 14,000 festive meals directly to the doors of older New Yorkers across the city. Nearly 200 Citymeals volunteers spent the morning packing and delivering those meals to their neighbors in need, in partnership with community-based organizations, including Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Center on the Upper East Side. The special Christmas menu featured Cornish hen with garlic mashed potatoes, French-cut green beans, salad, a dinner roll and red velvet cake for dessert.

“The holiday season can be a lonely for older people who live alone and no longer have family or friends to celebrate with,” said Citymeals CEO Beth Shapiro. “We know that isolation can have a negative impact on physical and mental health. And that’s where Citymeals volunteers come in – with a knock on the door, a friendly greeting and a festive meal. We want to remind them they are not forgotten at this time of year.”

In addition to packing and delivering meals this Christmas, Citymeals volunteers made 1,600 phone calls to meal recipients over the holiday season to remind them that they are not forgotten during this special time of year.

One in 10 New Yorkers over 60 is food insecure – lacking reliable access to adequate food. That number is even higher among those who are homebound and no longer able to shop and cook for themselves. Among Citymeals’ recipients: 

• More than half are over 80 years old, nearly 20% are over 90 and almost 400 have lived at least a century.
• 57% live alone, 40% never leave their homes and 8% have no one with whom they can talk on a regular basis other than their meal deliverer.
• More than half are food insecure and living on less than $15,000 a year.

Citymeals is the only organization focused on delivering nutritious meals to homebound older adults in all five boroughs. They have set an ambitious goal to end hunger among older New Yorkers by 2040. Citymeals has delivered over 70 million meals since its founding over 40 years ago.