Meal delivery programs become lifeline for aging Bronx residents amid inflation

As grocery prices continue climbing across New York City, organizations serving greater Riverdale’s aging population say more older adults are struggling to consistently access affordable, nutritious food — a challenge becoming increasingly visible in a neighborhood where many residents are aging in place.

For homebound seniors unable to shop or cook independently, meal delivery programs have become an increasingly critical support system, helping older adults remain in their homes while supplementing limited incomes stretched thin by inflation and rising living costs.

At 104 years old, Riverdale resident Deborah Eiferman still lives independently, supported in part by Citymeals on Wheels deliveries that arrive regularly at her apartment door.

“Citymeals is consistent, reliable, dependable,” she told The Press. “Since they were all of those characteristics, I wanted to stay with them.”

Beth Shapiro, CEO of Citymeals on Wheels, said the Manhattan-based nonprofit currently delivers nearly 2.5 million meals annually to approximately 22,000 older New Yorkers.

The organization was founded nearly 45 years ago after restaurant critic Gail Greene read about seniors going four days without food during a holiday weekend when city-funded meal centers were closed. What began as a one-time holiday effort has since evolved into a citywide network providing weekend meals, emergency food packages, breakfast boxes and mobile pantry programs.

Today, Citymeals leaders say the need is continuing to grow as more seniors live longer while relying on fixed incomes that have failed to keep pace with rising costs.

“There’s the growing population, and there’s growing poverty, increased poverty among older adults, and more people need more food,” Shapiro told The Press. “Sixty percent of those we spoke with are still hungry … They’re running out of food.”

According to research conducted by the organization, roughly 65 percent of recipients live on $15,000 annually or less.

Shapiro said many people misunderstand what poverty among older adults looks like, particularly in neighborhoods like Riverdale, where seniors may have spent decades living in the same apartments or homes.

“The people we serve have worked and contributed their whole lives,” she said. “They didn’t expect to live this long… It’s very expensive to live in the city on a fixed income.”

For Eiferman, aging has brought physical limitations that made preparing meals increasingly difficult. She said essential tremors eventually forced her to stop cooking regularly.

The organization’s work, Shapiro said, extends beyond simply delivering food. For many recipients, meal deliveries provide one of the few regular points of contact with the outside world.

“It’s more than just a meal,” Shapiro said. “It’s that connection, it’s the check-in that’s really critical.”

Deliverers often become familiar with recipients’ routines and conditions, sometimes identifying emergencies when something appears unusual. Shapiro recalled instances where staff found seniors injured inside their apartments after missed deliveries raised concern.

Citymeals currently supplements the city’s weekday meal program with additional initiatives aimed at seniors considered most vulnerable to hunger, including breakfast boxes containing frozen meals, produce and pantry staples. But Shapiro said available resources still fall short of the need.

“The biggest constraint is going beyond one meal a day,” she said. “Recognizing really across the board that for most humans one meal a day is not enough.”

The issue has become increasingly apparent across Riverdale and the northwest Bronx, where local organizations say more seniors are seeking food assistance and struggling to access affordable grocery options.

At the Riverdale Y, Sharon Asherman, director of the New Beginnings older adult center, said monthly food pantry attendance has grown, and buses transporting older adults to supermarkets outside the neighborhood now routinely fill up.

Riverdale’s geography and changing supermarket landscape, she added, have made food access increasingly difficult for seniors with mobility limitations.

“We are kind of in a food desert, especially the area right in the northwestern section of Riverdale, because the supermarket closed,” Asherman said. “Seniors don’t necessarily have access to, or are able to use, public transportation.”

The Riverdale Y now organizes shopping trips to Trader Joe’s, H Mart and Walmart in New Jersey, where seniors can find lower prices and more affordable staples than many local stores offer.

“We never used to offer food shopping trips,” Asherman said. “This is new to me.”

According to Asherman, demand for those trips has steadily increased as food prices continue rising.

“Everybody who goes food shopping knows the price of food is going up dramatically,” she said. “For people on a fixed income, this is especially hard.”

Despite the challenges, Eiferman said she remains focused on gratitude and perspective as she continues aging in the same Riverdale community she has called home for decades.

“Gratitude affects your attitude,” she said. “If you’re focused on the good things that happen to you, the people you love and love you, you survive.”