Gael Greene, longtime New York magazine restaurant critic, was reading the paper just a few days before Thanksgiving and noticed an article describing the plight of older New Yorkers facing hunger. She was shocked to learn they were not receiving meal deliveries on weekends and holidays. “I picked up my phone and dialed the Department for the Aging to express outrage that in a city of such abundance, we could not care for our elderly neighbors in need,” Greene recalled.
December 1981
Greene rallied her friends in the food and hospitality industry, and they quickly raised the funds necessary to prepare and deliver 6,000 meals for their homebound elderly neighbors on Christmas. Encouraged by the response, she resolved to build upon the success the following year.
1982
DFTA Bureau Chief Marcia Stein helped make Greene’s dream a reality. Stein worked to establish one of the country’s first public/private partnerships, the first in New York City – with the fledgling Citymeals on Wheels operating under the auspices of DFTA – and became the organization’s founding executive director. Thanks to this partnership, Citymeals has been able to promise that all public donations will be used entirely for the preparation and delivery of meals, since day one.
1986
While the lack of weekend and holiday meals for the homebound elderly prompted our beginnings, it soon became clear more was needed. The Emergency Food Package, filled with nonperishable food staples, was designed to stock the cupboards of our meal recipients during extreme weather. “Opening the box and seeing what was in it was like opening a chest and finding many wonderful treasures,” explained a meal recipient from Staten Island.
1991
After ten years, Citymeals was delivering nearly one million meals annually. The growing need amongst the city’s senior population necessitated organizational change. Recognizing this, Citymeals on Wheels officially established itself as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
1999
From the start, Citymeals relied on the generosity of New Yorkers of all ages. With 16,000 meal recipients, we formally established our volunteer program. Over the first year, more than 300 volunteers from schools, corporations, community groups and alumni associations delivered meals and smiles to their older neighbors in need.
2005
Citymeals recipients face tremendous social isolation. Our Friendly Visiting program launched in Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Coney Island and Flushing. Volunteers were trained and matched with older New Yorkers in need of companionship. Weekly visits quickly became lasting friendships.
2011
The majority of people receiving home-delivered meals subsist on very low incomes. Many are unable to access local food pantries, an important source of help for those well enough to walk in and carry home groceries. The Mobile Food Pantry began delivering food – soups, stews, cereal, vegetables and more – in March 2011.
December 2014
Citymeals marked an extraordinary achievement as we delivered our 50 millionth meal on December 11th to 71-year-old Florence, a former public-school teacher who suffers from severe scoliosis and a displaced pelvis.
october 2018
Citymeals opened The Joan & Bob Tisch Emergency Meal Distribution Center in Hunts Point, in honor of the Tisch family and their ongoing commitment to the fight against elder hunger. The new 25,000-square-foot facility dramatically expanded both capacity and resources. The opening marked the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy when Citymeals delivered more than 63,000 emergency meals to our existing recipients and nearly 10,000 other seniors newly trapped in their homes.
June 2021
On June 29th, Citymeals deliverer Andrew Smith delivered our four millionth meal since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Andrew delivered the special meal to 83-year-old Irene, who lives alone in the same Sunset Park home where she was born. “Sometimes he's the only face I see in a day,” she explained.
December 2021
On Christmas Day, Citymeals marked its 40th anniversary amidst the ongoing pandemic. Since our founding in 1981, Citymeals had delivered 65 million meals to older New Yorkers in need, reminding them they’re not forgotten on weekends, holidays and in times of emergency.
January 2022
Citymeals launches Social Calls, its newest volunteer program designed to address isolation among meal recipients.
Since 1981, Citymeals has delivered nearly 70 million meals to our homebound elderly neighbors. LEARN MORE
We are able to promise that 100% of your donation will be used for the preparation and delivery of meals, thanks to our partnership with the City of New York, Citymeals board members and certain designated grants for administrative expenses.
