Nearly 5 million meals given to home-bound elderly New Yorkers in 2019, city says

Dec. 24--The city and its network of providers gave nearly 5 million meals to home-bound elderly New Yorkers in 2019, the de Blasio administration said Monday.

The 4,554,828 repasts marked a record total given out in a single year, according to the city's Department for the Aging.

"Home-bound older New Yorkers rely on our home-delivered meals and with our 28 community-based programs, we serve on average 18,000 meals per day," Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, commissioner of the Department of Aging, said in a statement.

"Among the City's most vulnerable, many recipients of home-delivered meals would not otherwise have access to adequate nutrition," she added. "This year, we delivered a record number of meals directly to the hands and homes of older New Yorkers, demonstrating just how essential this program is."

The meals were "made from high-quality foods that adhere to NYC food standards and provide one-third of the Daily Recommended Intake for adults, with a portion of the foods sourced regionally," according to the Department for the Aging.

Citymeals on Wheels partnered with the city to stock its emergency supplies with 55,000 meals "ready to be delivered at a moment's notice for an older New Yorker in need."

"For nearly 40 years, this partnership has provided a critical lifeline to the homebound elderly in the City," Citymeals on Wheels executive director Beth Shapiro said in a statement.

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