Recent research from Citymeals on Wheels reveals that nearly half of New York adults over age 60 who use older adult centers and home-delivered meal programs experience food insecurity. And according to the nonprofit’s CEO Beth Shapiro, the tax and spending bill signed into law by Donald Trump this summer further threatens this vulnerable population.
Of those surveyed by Citymeals, 65 percent live on US$15,000 a year or less and 32 percent do not receive social security. “These numbers demand national attention,” Shapiro tells Food Tank. “Federal policies must move beyond outdated models to ensure consistent, comprehensive nutrition programs for older adults.”
But Shapiro says the federal government is only adding strain to the organization’s meal recipients and anti-hunger partners across the country. “This federal bill will push more of our older neighbors into poverty and increase long-term healthcare costs,” she says.
The cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid as a direct threat to the safety net that communities rely on, according to Shapiro. “There is a misunderstanding that long-term care is funded through Medicare,” she says. “But once older adults run out of money—and we see that every day—they’re on Medicaid. And that’s what’s being cut.”
Shapiro says she sees the impacts on a regular basis, recounting the story of Julia, a 75-year-old stroke survivor who depends on a fragile network of services to survive. “Julia already has to choose between food, rent, or important medicine. These federal decisions don’t exist in a vacuum; they ripple through every part of the elder care system.”
Since 1981, Citymeals has expanded beyond daily deliveries to include weekend, holiday, and emergency meals, as well as pilot programs such as Mobile Grocery deliveries and Breakfast Boxes. The organization’s reporting shows that these services offer significant stability to older adults, with 87 percent reporting that home-delivered meals help them remain in their own homes.
Citymeals also runs programs that offer nutritional benefits and social connection. Their partnership with Life Story Club, for example, brings older adults together through virtual and in-person storytelling sessions. And their Social Calls program ensures no one spends holidays alone.
But Shapiro insists that while philanthropy plays a vital role to address hunger, it is not the solution to long-term systemic underfunding. “It is the obligation of our elected representatives to fight for the population’s needs,” she tells Food Tank.
“There should be policy that helps the older generation,” says Gladys Harvey, an Overseer Elder with the Morning Star Christian Center. “There should be a policy to help them keep there food. There should be a policy to help them keep their homes. There should be a policy to help them keep their medication.”
The Older Americans Act, passed in 1965 to provide federal funding for congregate and homedelivered meal programs across the country, offers some support. It mandates one meal each day, five days a week. “That’s not enough,” Shapiro says. “We need seven-day-a-week support and a societal shift that values older adults and provides for their specific needs.”
Following the 60th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, Shapiro urges lawmakers to modernize the legislation to reflect current economic and social realities. She also calls for increased utilization of programs like SNAP, which is heavily underutilized by older adults, who aren’t sure if they’re eligible.
“At this time, more older adults live in New York City than school-age children,” Shapiro tells Food Tank. “The increased need has been with us for a while. It is here now, and it will only grow in the future.”
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Photo courtesy of Citymeals on Wheels
