April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and Citymeals on Wheels relies on an army of about 17,000 volunteers who bring desperately needed food and social interaction to older adults in every corner of the Bronx and New York City.
Letisha Gary is one local volunteer who has worked regularly to ensure the city’s seniors are fed and cared for. Gary was born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx. She now lives in Parkchester and has been volunteering with Citymeals weekly since Thanksgiving 2024, and on and off for years before that.
Last fiscal year in the Bronx, she and the Citymeals crew delivered over 275,000 meals to 3,700 seniors who have difficulty getting around to buy their own groceries.
Even in New York’s stereotypically wealthy neighborhoods, many seniors are living in poverty. The average Citymeals client is 87 years old, and the majority live on $15,000 or less per year. Their inability to afford food — and leave home to get it — puts them at risk of malnutrition, as well as social isolation.
Gary’s work has taken her all over the city, often to the Carter Burden Luncheon Club on the Upper East Side and throughout Brooklyn, or wherever she’s needed on the days she’s available. She also participated in a shopping buddy pilot program in which volunteers go to the supermarket for clients or shop alongside them.
Gary said she’s especially passionate about food accessibility in her home city. “For me, volunteering is a way to give back to the community that serves me,” she said. “It’s filling a gap that they need.”
She said she was recently unemployed for awhile and had a more flexible schedule, which made it easier for her to volunteer more often. But even though she’s starting a city job soon, Gary said Citymeals has a very “volunteer-friendly” operation.
Anyone can go on the website and “cherry-pick” different opportunities based on availability and location, Gary said. “They really make it easy for volunteers to jump right in.”
In addition, she said people can choose different opportunities based on their interests, or just how sociable they’re feeling. Volunteers can do deliveries by car or on foot, or package meals in the warehouse to stay more “behind the scenes,” she said.
Overall, Gary said she gets a great feeling from helping meet the needs of fellow New Yorkers.
“It’s hands-on. I’m meeting real people. I’m not just kinda dropping off food at a location,” she said. “Sometimes, this is the only interaction they have with someone that’s not transactional. It feels good in both directions.”
Katie Barth, director of program initiatives and evaluations for Citymeals, told the Bronx Times that “hyperlocal” volunteers like Gary are critical to reaching seniors in need in every neighborhood.
Amid the affordability crisis, seniors are struggling more than ever to access food or get the appropriate foods they need for dietary reasons, Barth said.
In addition, since about 30% of Citymeals clients also receive SNAP benefits. Cuts and changes to that program have sent every food nonprofit scrambling.
In response to this uncertainty, Citymeals has created new offerings, such as breakfast boxes and mobile groceries, to meet residents’ needs beyond the prepared meal delivered to their doors each day. “We know that that one meal a day is not enough,” Barth said.
She said although the city’s affordability crisis seems to be getting worse before it gets better, “We’re trying to alleviate as much of the anxiety and stress that older adults are feeling across the five boroughs.”
The Bronx is an important base of Citymeals’ logistical operations. The organization’s fresh produce distribution center is at the Hunts Point Market, which is also the site of Citymeals’ Mobile Food Pantry that provides clients with supplemental items.
In addition, the distribution center stores 50,000 meals ready to be sent out in case of a major city emergency. Overall, Citymeals is a “wild operation,” Barth said.
She also explained how Bronx households may help shape future offerings. In the borough, the organization is currently partnering with CUNY on a study of 200 meal recipients experiencing extreme food insecurity.
While the work is in early phases, the study, including surveys and focus groups, highlights different client choice models for delivered groceries, not just prepared food.
Many people tend to think of community service opportunities during the holiday season. But Latisha and Citymeals hope to convey the message that in the Bronx and citywide, “There’s never not a need for volunteers,” as Barth put it.
“The need doesn’t just exist during the holidays. It’s year-round,” Gary said.
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!
