Apply To Receive Meals
To be eligible, clients must be at least 60 years old and have either a long or short-term disability or illness that prevents them from shopping for food and preparing meals. They must not have access to a community kitchen (for example, in senior housing). Seniors without working refrigeration or storage facilities are also eligible.
Referrals for service are made by phone or online, and meal delivery can begin in 24 hours in an emergency, or within a few days in a non-emergency situation. Sources for referrals are varied: the potential client, neighbor, relative, friend, clergy, or a related agency serving the community.
A telephone assessment by a Meals on Wheels nurse is made within a week of the referral. Reassessments are made annually.
How Quickly Can I Receive Meals?
How Do I Get Meals For My Parents, Grandparents or Neighbor?
How Much Does It Cost?
How Long Can I Receive Meals?
As long as there are no changes that affect your eligibility, you can continue to receive the service. A Meals on Wheels nurse will visit you annually for a reassessment.
Who Cooks The Food?
Meals on Wheels of Staten Island, Inc. maintains a modern, state-of-the-art kitchen at 304 Port Richmond Avenue. Meals are planned by a dietician and are nutritionally balanced to include all of the main food groups. The meals are prepared by a professional chef and his staff, and sealed and packaged on the premises. We prepare a hot meal and a cold meal for over 1200 recipients each day. Professional drivers deliver many of the meals, but 80% are delivered by volunteers.
Kosher & Halal meals are also available upon request. The meals are prepared by B and Y Catering.
Can You Handle Special Dietary Needs?
Delivery
We deliver one hot and one cold meal each day, five days a week, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., except for major holidays. If eligible, three frozen meals can be delivered on Saturday morning for weekends.
Note: Meals cannot be delivered unless someone is there to receive them. Please call to cancel meal delivery for that day if you aren’t going to be home to receive it. Otherwise, we will contact you or your emergency contact to confirm your well-being.
Menu
Nick Lettiere, Meals on Wheels chef, is dedicated to making the meals look and taste great. He and his staff are determined to make well-balanced meals which taste home cooked.
Our extended menu cycle is designed to avoid repetition.
Nutrition
All meals are low sodium, low fat, and low cholestrol and provides one-third of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy diet. Special diets are available, but require a physician’s written order. The special diets are:
Allergies–Diabetic–Renal–Chopped–Pureed–Diverticulitis