This holiday season, Citymeals on Wheels is providing a lifeline to older adults who struggle with leaving their homes and affording food.
Thanksgiving is the biggest day of the year for Citymeals on Wheels, when hundreds of volunteers will help deliver 16,000 meals complete with all the trimmings and make phone calls to check in with homebound residents.
But it’s not just about the holidays: throughout each year, the organization delivers approximately 2.2 million meals to 22,000 homebound residents across all five boroughs.
Rachel Sherrow, chief operating officer, said Citymeals’ clients not only have difficulty with shopping and cooking, but many are on fixed incomes with no wiggle room during even a temporary setback, such as the “traumatic” federal government shutdown that temporarily cut off SNAP benefits this month, she added.
Since the holiday season revolves largely around food and socialization, which too many of the city’s older adults lack, Citymeals on Wheels plays a vital role in ensuring residents are well-fed and checked on.
The organization holds holiday celebrations at older adult centers, along with home deliveries that provide “something reminiscent of the American style of Thanksgiving,” with options for ham, pernil or other items, Sherrow said.
But no matter what’s in the boxes, the meals are always delivered alongside a few moments of friendly connection, she said. “It’s not Uber Eats, it’s not leaving it on the doorknob.”
Victor Moreno, who delivers food for Citymeals, is part of the massive logistical operation that ensures seniors are taken care of during the holidays and beyond.
Each day’s work begins at the warehouse at 7 a.m., where staff carefully match prepared meals with the right recipients to ensure food allergies or restrictions are accommodated, said Moreno.
He said his Nov. 25 route has 59 stops and is expected to take four to six hours. Although his route varies daily, he said he always brings the meals directly to the person’s door (waiting patiently when necessary) and spends a few minutes chatting.
“I have a grandma, I have an uncle and I have a grandpa, so I treat everyone like family —the way they’re supposed to be treated,” Moreno said.
Bernito Diaz, 66, who lives in the Grand Concourse area, received his Citymeals delivery from Moreno, which included baked fish, chicken stir fry and a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, cranberries and more.
Seniors like Diaz are the fastest-growing population in the city and 1 in 10 of them face food insecurity, according to Citymeals officials.
Diaz’s life has changed drastically in recent years. He’s lived in the Bronx since age five.
“I know this place like the back of my hand,” he said, but most days, all he can do now is watch out his fifth-story window.
Diaz used to enjoy an active life and worked as a plumber. But in 2020, he contracted COVID-19, which left him with severe symptoms —nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, trembling hands— that have plagued him every day for years.
Diaz said he went to the emergency room seven times this year, but no amount of testing or medication has substantially improved his health.
Through these unexpected challenges, Diaz said he’s relied on Citymeals on Wheels, which provides him with twice-weekly deliveries.
“I appreciate what Citymeals is doing for me,” he said. “If it wasn’t for this program, I might not be alive now.”
He said city officials should pay more attention to the needs of poor New Yorkers and ensure Citymeals and similar programs remain funded. Citymeals receives very little federal funding but relies mainly on donations and partnerships, according to Sherrow. “They need to keep this program alive,” Diaz said.
Despite the debilitating illness that he struggles with every day, Diaz said he’s determined to stay strong and to enjoy Thanksgiving with his girlfriend and her eight grandchildren.
“I have to fight,” he said. “I’m going to fight this all the way, I promise you.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
