1981
Gael Greene, longtime New York magazine restaurant critic, was reading the paper just a few days before Thanksgiving and noticed an article describing the plight of older New Yorkers facing hunger. She was shocked to learn they were not receiving meal deliveries on weekends and holidays. She rallied her friends in the food and hospitality industry, and they quickly raised the funds necessary to prepare and deliver 6,000 meals for their homebound elderly neighbors that Christmas.
1982
DFTA Bureau Chief Marcia Stein helped make Greene’s dream a reality. Stein worked to establish a public/private partnership, the first of its kind in New York City.
1986
The Emergency Food Package was born. Filled with nonperishable food staples, the EFP was designed to stock the cupboards of our meal recipients during extreme weather.
1991
After ten years, Citymeals was delivering nearly one million meals annually. Recognizing this, Citymeals on Wheels officially established itself as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
1999
From the start, Citymeals relied on the generosity of New Yorkers of all ages. With 16,000 meal recipients at the time, we formally established our volunteer program.
2005
Citymeals recipients face tremendous social isolation. New volunteer programs were developed to provide connection for older New Yorkers experiencing loneliness.
2011
The Mobile Food Pantry program began, providing supplemental food for Citymeals recipients at the highest risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.
2014
Citymeals marked an extraordinary achievement as we delivered our 50 millionth meal to 71-year-old Florence, a former public-school teacher who suffers from severe scoliosis and a displaced pelvis.
2018
Citymeals opened The Joan & Bob Tisch Distribution Center in Hunts Point, named in honor of the Tisch family. The new 25,000-square-foot facility dramatically expanded both capacity and resources. The opening marked the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy when Citymeals delivered more than 63,000 emergency meals.
2021
Citymeals deliverer Andrew Smith delivered our four millionth meal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Andrew delivered the special meal to 83-year-old Irene, who lives alone in the same Sunset Park home where she was born.
2021
On Christmas Day, Citymeals marked its 40th anniversary amidst the ongoing pandemic.
2022
Citymeals launched Social Calls, its newest volunteer program designed to address isolation among meal recipients.
2024
Citymeals delivered its 70 millionth meal to 87-year-old Asha in Harlem. This milestone coincided with the release of Citymeals' research on food insecurity, which informed an ambitious goal of ending elder hunger in New York City by 2040.
2025
Citymeals begins seeing the impact of our new Breakfast Box pilot, with 5,000 meal recipients getting a monthly delivery of 30 days of breakfast meals and pantry staples plus fresh produce. Recipient Alfred noted that before getting the Breakfast Box, "I was eating ketchup sandwiches. Now, I don't have to worry about that. I always have something to eat."
