Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jeanette Estima, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Citymeals on Wheels
2:45:48
ยท
159 sec
Jeanette Estima from Citymeals on Wheels testified about the critical need for expanded food assistance programs for homebound older New Yorkers. She highlighted the success of their emergency meals program and proposed new initiatives to address food insecurity among the elderly.
- Urged passing of Intro 777 to provide meals 365 days a year, estimated to cost $20.7 million
- Requested renewal of $500,000 for emergency meals program and $200,000 for innovative pilot programs
- Called for reversal of over $100 million in proposed cuts in the preliminary budget
Jeanette Estima
2:45:48
Hello.
2:45:49
Thank you Chair Hudson for the opportunity to testify today.
2:45:54
My name is Jeanette Estima.
2:45:55
I'm the Director of Policy and Advocacy at City Meals on Wheels.
2:45:59
We're grateful to the council for its support of our emergency meals program which provides food to homebound older New Yorkers during local or citywide emergencies.
2:46:09
In FY twenty four with the council's support we delivered nearly 273,000 emergency meals across all five boroughs.
2:46:18
But there's an underlying persistent emergency experienced by home delivered meals recipients, sixty percent of whom are food insecure.
2:46:27
The one meal they receive through the program is simply not enough and their access to food is very limited due to mobility challenges and financial barriers with 65% of meal recipients living on $15,000 a year or less.
2:46:43
The city's home delivered meals program is a critical part of the city's anti hunger infrastructure, but it's not enough to truly address food insecurity.
2:46:53
This will require expanding the program and the creation of new programs to bring food directly to homebound older adults in their homes.
2:47:02
Therefore we urge the council to pass Intro seven seventy which would require the provision of one meal three sixty five days a year and we estimate to cost around $20,700,000 Moreover, City Meals has piloted several new programs that bring more food to older New Yorkers in new ways.
2:47:23
The Breakfast Box is essentially a second meal program that provides a monthly delivery of 30 meal equivalents that includes a few frozen meals, shelf stable items and seven pounds of fresh produce.
2:47:36
We're currently serving 2,000 people with this pilot program and we hope to expand it to 4,000 in the coming year.
2:47:44
And our mobile grocery pilot in partnership with Wiska gives 200 homebound older adults in The Bronx the ability to order a monthly bag of groceries by phone and make some choices about the items that they're receiving.
2:47:59
Therefore we request a renewal of the $500,000 that we received for our emergency meals program through the Older Adults Clubs Programs and Enhancements Initiative.
2:48:09
And $200,000 to support these innovative pilot programs so that together we can eliminate elder hunger.
2:48:18
And finally we urge the council and the administration to reverse the over $100,000,000 in cuts that are proposed in the preliminary budget.
2:48:26
Thank you.