Citymeals on Wheels CEO Beth Shapiro told NY1 the organization’s first-ever delivery was a Christmas meal to 6,000 homebound older adults.
“Our first delivery was a Christmas meal to 6,000 homebound older adults. We’ve now delivered nearly 75 million meals, making sure that older homebound New Yorkers have food every day of the year,” Shapiro said.
She said Citymeals on Wheels was founded to fill a critical gap left by publicly funded meal programs, which only operated Monday through Friday and excluded holidays.
“We were founded understanding that the city-funded home-delivered meals were only Monday through Friday and no holidays, and we stepped in,” Shapiro said. “The next holiday was Christmas. We raised money, our founders raised money, and delivered a Christmas meal. And we’ve just kept going, recognizing the hunger gap for older New Yorkers.”
During the holiday season, Citymeals on Wheels delivers nearly 700,000 meals and provides 2.2 million meals annually to about 22,000 homebound older adults across all five boroughs.
According to the organization, 65% of Citymeals on Wheels recipients live on less than $15,000 a year.
Beyond food insecurity, the nonprofit also aims to address the loneliness many older New Yorkers experience, relying on about 3,500 volunteers to help carry out its mission.
On Christmas morning, the Balanov family traveled from Staten Island to the Carter Burden Network on the Upper East Side to volunteer for the second year in a row.
“It brings us closer. It’s just wholesome,” said 17-year-old Lea Balanov. “Last year we were doing food packaging, and we came back this year. I think because we don’t celebrate Christmas, because we’re Jewish, it was a nice way to participate in the holiday as well as just something to do that’s good for the community.”
Balanov said volunteering is a meaningful way to support people who may not have reliable help.
“Not everyone has someone they can rely on, and this is a good way to remedy that,” she said. “It puts them at ease and makes their lives much more special.”
For the Odell family, volunteering with Citymeals on Wheels has become a Christmas tradition. This year marked their 15th year helping out.
“It just means a lot to us as a family to continue to provide this service for seniors that are homebound,” Michelle Odell told NY1. “Meals are getting harder to afford, and this organization provides so much for people. Being able to speak to people who don’t get outside, that pretty much happens a lot, and we’re maybe the only person they’ll talk to today, so it makes you feel good.”
Melissa Odell said volunteering reflects the true meaning of the holiday.
“We really felt that people were missing the whole point of Christmas,” she said. “Christmas is about giving back, but it’s also about getting so much more when we give. It’s something we continue to do.”
Citymeals on Wheels encourages older homebound adults in need of additional meals, or those seeking more information, to visit citymeals.org.