NEW YORK — New York City pledged to deliver meals directly to seniors in need during the pandemic, but then complaints started pouring in over food quality from the Bronx to Staten Island.
NY Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis said some of the people she represents received moldy bread and rotten vegetables.
“Yesterday I had a senior that found a bug in his food,” she said. “Our seniors deserve better than this.”
At his press briefing Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city ended contracts with two providers that were sending low qualityfood to senior citizens. The city will now expand the number of meals delivered across the boroughs
“By next week, over a million meals will be delivered to New Yorkers per day,” he said.
Kathryn Garcia, commissioner of the Department of Sanitation, is also working as the city’s “COVID-19 food czar.” She said people can also get kosher and halal meals.
COVID-19 exposed a hard truth: the number of hungry New Yorkers is much larger than previously estimated.
“We thought 1 million New Yorkers were food insecure. Now we think the number is 2 million,” de Blasio said