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Releases & Statements
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum joined the staff of Meals on Wheels as they delivered food to the homebound elderly in the Bronx . The Public Advocate is concerned that the City’s proposed changes to the Meals on Wheels program, which would reduce the number of deliveries for some seniors from five times a week to once a week by substituting frozen meals for hot meals, will leave stranded hundreds of elderly Bronx residents whose primary human contact comes from interaction with those who deliver their meals.
Public Advocate Gotbaum spoke with elderly residents about her concerns : “The City’s elderly deserve better than to be chips at the bargaining table. If the City is looking for ways to cut costs, they should look elsewhere,” Gotbaum said.
In 2003, the Department for the Aging (DFTA) released an RFP to select three providers to deliver 815,234 meals to Bronx homebound elderly annually. The maximum meal cost was set at $4, down from $6, and hot meals would be provided to only 40% of seniors regardless of need. The delivery of hot meals ensures that elderly clients are visited on a regular basis ; the delivery of frozen meals requires fewer actual deliveries.
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