Citymeals on Wheels Prepares New York City's Elderly for Passover
with Kosher Food Packages

(Friday, April 1, 2016 – New York, NY) – With Passover just around the corner, Citymeals on Wheels is making sure homebound elderly members of the Jewish community in New York City have Kosher for Passover meals to enjoy during the holiday.

More than 500 volunteers throughout the city are pitching in to help Citymeals deliver the packages, which are filled with foods like beef brisket, stuffed cabbage, gefilte fish, grape juice, matzo and macaroons – the equivalent of eight meals. In total, more than 4,100 Passover boxes will be delivered to frail aged New Yorkers in advance of Passover. The packages are, in part, made possible by a generous grant from The David Berg Foundation, Inc. 

Beth Shapiro, Executive Director of Citymeals, noted, “Having outlived their family and friends, many of our Jewish meal recipients have only their memories of Passovers gone by to sustain them during the holiday season. We hope these familiar foods provide our isolated older neighbors nourishment and comfort during a time that may be very lonely for them.”

All Citymeals on Wheels recipients are chronically disabled by conditions such as vision loss, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. More than 60% of its meal recipients are over 80 years old, 23% are over 90, and more than 200 have lived at least a century. Nearly all meal recipients need assistance walking. It is estimated that 66% use a cane, 39% use a walker and 16% use a wheelchair. Citymeals recipients are also isolated. 57% live alone, 40% rarely or never leave their homes and 8% have no one with whom they can talk.

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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 69,000 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.