Frail Homebound Elderly New Yorkers Get Special Visitors for Grandparents Day

Three Young Children and their Parents Deliver Meals to Homebound Elderly for Citymeals on Wheels

(Saturday, September 10, 2016 – New York, NY) – It was a family affair this morning when Danielle Valenti Smith, Randy

Smith, and their three young children brought much needed joy, nutritious meals and handmade greeting cards to homebound elderly Citymeals on Wheels recipients in commemoration of National Grandparents Day (Sunday, September 11th). Ms. Valenti Smith is a longtime supporter of Citymeals and former Co-Chair of the Citymeals on Wheels Young Professionals Committee.

Serving as a lifeline to New York City’s frail aged residents, Citymeals works with community-based meal centers to prepare and deliver more than 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for more than 18,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers every year. Many of these isolated meal recipients have outlived their own family members and may not see their own grandchildren regularly. In fact, for many recipients, their meal deliverer is the only person they see all day.

Siena (10), Luca (8), and Marco Smith (6) set out on foot from The Carter Burden Center for the Aging on the Upper East Side with their parents and Beth Shapiro, Executive Director of Citymeals on Wheels, for deliveries to three homebound elderly New Yorkers.

Shapiro noted, “So many of our children and grandchildren enjoy wonderful times eating meals and playing games with their grandparents. But the frail aged we serve have often outlived their family or have no family nearby.  Fond memories are all they have. So, to open the door to three smiling kids is such a treasure for them. I’d like to thank Danielle and Randy for their commitment to Citymeals and for teaching their children the value of helping others.”

Valenti Smith said, “Family has always been important to me as has serving this community, so it only makes sense to combine the two and have my children learn, early on, the need to give back and the joy that helping those in need brings.”    

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About Citymeals on Wheels: Citymeals on Wheels (citymeals.org) provides a continuous lifeline of nourishing meals and vital companionship to New York City’s homebound elderly. Working in partnership with community-based organizations and senior centers, Citymeals prepares and delivers over 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for more than 18,000 of our frail aged neighbors each year. Last year, over 15,000 individuals volunteered nearly 72,000 hours of their time.

Since its founding in 1981, Citymeals has relied on the generosity of its Board of Directors, the City of New York, sponsors and other designated gifts to cover administrative costs. This ensures that 100% of all public donations will be used entirely for the preparation and delivery of meals.