CITYMEALS ON WHEELS PROVIDES 15,000 CHRISTMAS MEALS FOR HOMEBOUND OLDER NEW YORKERS

Volunteers Spent Christmas Morning Packing, Delivering and Serving Nutritious Meals and
Spreading Cheer to their Isolated Older Neighbors

(December 25, 2025 - New York, NY) - For Christmas this year, Citymeals on Wheels provided 15,000 festive meals for older New Yorkers across the five boroughs, continuing a lifeline of support for older adults facing food insecurity and loneliness. Volunteers spent their Christmas morning packing and delivering meals for neighbors in need, stepping off from Carter Burden Luncheon Club and Older Adult Center on the Upper East Side – one of Citymeals’ 30 community-based partners. A festive meal was also served at the center for those who are able to get out. The special Christmas menu featured lamb, polenta, asparagus with fruit sauce, and holiday cookies.

Citymeals volunteers also made over 1,000 phone calls to meal recipients during the holiday season to remind them that they are not forgotten at this time of year.

“The holidays can be a deeply challenging time for older New Yorkers who live alone or have limited resources,” said Citymeals CEO Beth Shapiro. “Sixty percent of the older people who rely on home-delivered meals are still food insecure. On Christmas Day, a friendly knock on the door with a nutritious meal can mean the world to our recipients.”

Throughout the holiday season, Citymeals provided 700,000 meals with the support of staff and 3,500 volunteers, who gave their time to ensure that no older New Yorkers went without a meal or a friendly check-in.

“We’re proud to work with Citymeals to ensure our neighbors are nourished and supported,” said William J. Dionne, Executive Director of the Carter Burden Network. “Today, we’re bringing a beautiful holiday meal on Christmas and good cheer right to the doors of our homebound recipients and hosting a festive meal complete with carolers and cookies for those who are able to get out. It’s a holiday tradition that Carter Burden is proud to continue and enjoyed by all its multi-cultural clients.”

Among Citymeals’ recipients: 

• More than half are over the age of 80; over 500 are 100 years or older.
• 45% do not have friends or family who can help them with at least one meal a day.
• 38% report that loneliness and depression are a problem for them.
• 65% are living on less than $15,000 a year.

Citymeals has set an ambitious goal to end hunger among older New Yorkers by 2040. Since its founding over 40 years ago, Citymeals has delivered over 72 million meals.