It’s dinner time. What are you in the mood for? Food in New York City is plentiful, although not everyone has access to it.
In November 1981, just before Thanksgiving, Gael Greene, then New York Magazine’s food critic learned that thousands of frail elders—the ones who couldn’t leave their apartments, would go four days without meals because the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) didn't deliver on weekends and holidays.
“I picked up my phone and dialed DFTA to express outrage that in a city of such abundance, we could not care for our elderly neighbors in need,” she remembers. And she didn't stop there. Ms. Greene called her buddy, cookbook author and teacher James Beard and with the help of friends, raised enough money to deliver 6,000 meals on Christmas Day. Citymeals on Wheels was born. By 1991, they were delivering one million meals annually. Citymeals just delivered its 60 millionth meal!
Meal delivery: more than food.
Everything starts at the thirty meal centers where staff and volunteers cook and prepare the meal packages. “I learned to cook with my mother,” said Chef Juan Cruz, who has worked there for 17 years. “We make everything from scratch.” Throughout the morning, deliverers pick up the hand-pulled carts and scatter around the five boroughs. Natasha Vanderhorst delivers hot meals to about fifty people in the Chelsea area, but in fact, she is bringing much more than food. “For many elders,” she said, “I am the only person they see in a day,” so she visits with them while at the same time keeping an eye on the clock to make sure she gets to everyone.
Out of the 18,414 seniors helped by Citymeals, 200 are over 100 years-old. Some have outlived their children and are completely isolated.
Executive Director Beth Shapiro at the meal centers
“We call them the hidden hungry,” said Executive Director Beth Shapiro. There are no financial requirements to receive meals, what matters is only that a person is above 60 years old and cannot shop or cook. “Since we started,” she said, “the basic need for food hasn’t evolved much but the aging population is growing.” Through events and donations, the organization is raising 17 Million Dollars annually and 100% of those funds goes to meal preparations. While some grants help, the large and active board supports all staff and administrative costs. The City’s senior population is expected to grow 40% by 2040.
While Citymeals delivers its 60 Millionth Meal, two other charitable food organizations are also growing. Chefs and restaurants are constantly asked to contribute to various charities.
In 2015, Louise Ulukaya, daughter of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and entrepreneur in her own right, came up with the idea of creating their own family foundation. Both her father and brother Chef Cedric Vongerichten (Perry Street; Wayan) saw a need to support underprivileged young people wishing to study the culinary arts. Ms. Ulukaya named it Food Dreams, A Jean-Georges Foundation.
Recent graduates at the Culinary Institute of America
“We wanted to help fund culinary education for young chefs in training,” she said. By 2016, they had raised one million dollars and with the help of the Institute of Culinary Education and the Culinary Institute of America, 60 students have gone through the program. The organization provides scholarships for the two-year associate program, training and job placement opportunities Every student has a chef mentor and spends time in restaurants within the Jean-Georges group.
Food Dreams creator and Executive Director, Louise Ulukaya and recent graduate Morgan Comet
Another engaged chef is José Andrés, a larger than life persona working on the ground to feed the needy, clad in his signature Indiana Jones vest. In 2010, he founded World Central Kitchen as a response to Haiti’s devastating earthquake. Armed with an unbeatable humanitarian spirit, Mr. Andrés imagined his own model: respond in urgency around the world.
PALMIS TAMPE, HAITI- MARCH 20: Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur Jose Andres (right) hands Fleurisema ... [+]
“We are more like software than hardware,” said the chef. Instead of landing with pounds of machinery and materials, the team ropes in local suppliers and cooks whenever possible, to implement long-term solution.“In Puerto-Rico for example,” said Executive Director Nate Mook, “Instead of importing bread from Miami, we helped rebuild the local bakeries.”In 2018, the organization served five million meals in Puerto Rico, California, Guatemala, Indonesia and on the Venezuelan border. World Central Kitchen aims to raise 10 Million dollars annually.
The entrance to the World Central Kitchen, a food bank and food distribution center established by ... [+]
Students who dream of becoming chefs; chefs rallying to help and feed others; elders too frail to leave their homes to shop for food, which will you help?
