Message from the Executive Director
January 5, 2012
Thirty years ago, Gael Greene and James Beard first learned that government funding to feed our homebound neighbors did not cover weekends and holidays. On Christmas Day of 1981, Citymeals-on-Wheels was born with a wonderful holiday meal delivered to 6,000 elderly neighbors by caring volunteers.
As the cold winter sets in, I am reminded that it is a difficult time of year for New York’s 16,500 frail elderly. The disabilities associated with old age imprison them once the cold air blows in and sidewalks become ice-coated hazards. Even getting to the corner for milk can be dangerous.
Over the years, I’ve visited many frail meal recipients and I am always struck by how truly dependant they are on our help, our kindness and our compassion. I see women and men for whom a meal delivery and a friendly visit are the high points of the day. When food comes to the door, when someone familiar stops in to say hello and check on how things are going, lonely aged people feel reassured…and well-nourished.
My first meal delivery nearly six years ago took me to familiar streets— East 46th Street near Flatbush in Brooklyn, just blocks from where my grandparents lived until I was eight years old. I met Mamie, too afraid to go outside even if she could, because the cold wind might knock her down. Her shoes were held together with duct tape, but her smile was as bright as any model’s on the cover of a fashion magazine.
Just last month, I met Dorothy. At 91 she could barely hear as I yelled, "hello", close to her ear. I helped carry her meal to her small tidy kitchen as it’s awkward for her to navigate with a walker. I didn’t stay long, but she grabbed my hand tightly as I left, simply smiling and closing her eyes for a moment. The memory of her grasp reminds me how lucky we are to have friends like you to help us bring meals to her door each day.
Our city's oldest depend on us…and we depend on good neighbors like you. Thank you for helping us deliver weekend and emergency meals to lonely neighbors, just like we did 30 years ago… providing a vital lifeline that lasts all through the year.
With warm wishes,
Beth Shapiro
View the message from the Founding Executive Director, Marcia Stein
