August 31, 2012

For over thirty years, Citymeals has funded community-based agencies that bring weekend, holiday and emergency meals to homebound elderly New Yorkers who can no longer shop or cook for themselves. In 2012, Citymeals expanded its program offerings to provide homebound elderly New Yorkers with even better nutrition and increasing human interaction.

Thanks to a generous grant from EmblemHealth, Citymeals’ Mobile Food Pantry service now serves two additional Queens neighborhoods: Flushing and Cambria Heights. The service began in 2011 and helped tackle the problem of food insecurity among Citymeals’ most vulnerable recipients. Original funding for the Mobile Food Pantry was provided by the New York Community Trust, Alcoa Foundation, and the New York Times Neediest Cases.

In addition, Citymeals partnered with GrowNYC to deliver fresh, locally-grown produce to meal recipients. Feedback from our elderly has confirmed the need for additional food and access to fresh produce. Frances, a meal recipient from Manhattan, explains, “When I received my meal I was delighted to find a container of blueberries in it. I enjoyed eating them – they were delicious. They were the first I had in years.”

To learn more about these programs, read our news stories:

Citymeals Expands Its Mobile Food Pantry Service

Thanks to Lillian Vernon, We Can Deliver More Fresh and Healthy Local Produce