Today I attended a special tribute to Meals on Wheels of Staten Island, one of the many thousands of programs that make up the Meals on Wheels Association of America, which serves over a million meals a day to senior citizens all over the country. Meals on Wheels is not only known for making hot meals available to the elderly, it is also known for providing older people with consistent companionship and regular medical check-ups that help to ensure their continuing well being. It is one of those organizations that most of us take for granted, but that do a tremendous amount of good and spread a great deal of good will.
Joe Tornello, the CEO and President of Staten Island's Meals on Wheels, who is also a partner of Wagner College, spoke eloquently at the Borough President's Office about the role his organization has played over the last 40 years in reducing isolation and supporting good nutrition for the elderly. As Tornello pointed out, Meals on Wheels is more than a meals program, as important as that is. It could more accurately be characterized as "a daily visiting program that brings food."
On Staten Island, Meals on Wheels relies on 400 volunteers who make 1000 home visits daily. For the 1000 households they serve, they are a veritable lifeline. It is an honor for Wagner College to be associated with Meals on Wheels. We hope to continue to work closely with them and to do even more in the future to advance their all-important goals of improving the quality of life of the elderly on Staten Island.
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