On the Menu: Ethnic Meals for Senior Centers

By KATIE MILANI

An elderly Chinese-born resident of Councilwoman Margaret Chin’s Lower Manhattan district confied her diet to bread and apples because the city did not provide her with her preferred ethnic dishes.

At least that was the story told by Chin to the City Council Subcommittee on Senior Centers on Tuesday.

Although there are few accounts of unhappy, hungry senior citizens, Donna Corrado, the Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging, cited a report that showed 92 percent of clients said that their meals related to their cultural or ethnic background.

“A number of senior centers in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens serve meals that are culturally appropriate to their Chinese constituents,” Corrado argued.

But Corrado did agree that nike kobe 9 culturally relevant meals are not offered at every center in the city.

“While the Agency has made significant strides in providing culturally relevant meals and programming, we can do better,” she said.

With help from improving technology, Corrado said the needs of communities can and will be met.

Because of the city’s rapidly changing demographics, the committee agreed that more research is required to address under-served communities.

Corrado said the rising cost of food leaves a deficit that can only be met with fundraising.

Councilman Paul Vallone discussed increasing the budget for the cost of food, while Chin offered a solution that would require a stronger partnership between senior centers that cook their meals and home delivered meals.

Many in attendance were just grateful that the de Blasio administration was tackling these matters.

“These meals are the lifeline for seniors,” Vallone said.