April 23, 2014

As New Yorkers were busy preparing for special Passover and Easter gatherings with their families last week, Citymeals made sure their homebound elderly neighbors would also have the opportunity to celebrate the holidays.

Thanks to a generous grant from longtime supporter EGL Charitable Foundation, Citymeals delivered more than 4,500 Passover boxes of non-perishable kosher food – a total of more than 36,000 meals – in advance of the holiday. Each Passover package contained the equivalent of eight shelf-stable kosher meals, including staples like gefilte fish, matzos, beef brisket, stuffed cabbage, and coconut macaroons. The David Berg Foundation also provided funding for these meals.  

On Sunday, April 20th, Citymeals restaurant partners Aureole and Tocqueville – who have come to the rescue of New Yorkers in need of meals several times in the past during emergencies and holidays – cooked Easter meals for 90 tenants of a senior housing building on the Lower East Side. The aged residents had been living without gas for over three weeks, limiting their ability to cook for themselves. Recipients enjoyed a gourmet meal of lamb stew alongside vegetables with couscous or potatoes.

Each of the holiday meals were hand-delivered with a card lovingly crafted by our volunteers. Citymeals Executive Director Beth Shapiro remarked, “For the thousands of meal recipients who were alone or unable to cook during the holidays, we hope these Passover and Easter meals provided a measure of comfort and good memories.”