On Friday, August 2, Schneps Media collaborated with non-profit organization Citymeals on Wheels to assemble emergency food packages for homebound seniors at Citymeals’ new facility, the Joan & Bob Tisch Emergency Meal Distribution Center.
Assembly lines consisted of about 15 to 20 Schneps Media employees each, who loaded cardboard cartons with meals, sealed the boxes, applied destination stickers, and stacked the boxes on a wooden pallet, ready to be loaded onto a truck.
The 210 boxes were placed on seven pallets of 30 cartons, plastic wrapped to the rack in preparation for the upcoming deliveries to elderly individuals who are confined to their home and can’t buy or cook meals independently.
Each six-pound box consisted of four shelf-stable meals, including tuna, organic brown rice, applesauce and oatmeal. Boxes also included special treats such as hot chocolate and low-sugar cookies.
“Schneps Media’s goal is to be as grass roots an organization as possible – and we started with this corporate volunteering initiative to fulfill that goal,” said Josh Schneps, CEO of Schneps Media. “We are fortunate to do that every day through our editorial coverage as well as helping businesses grow through our marketing channels.”
“We were really happy to support Citymeals who has a great mission and allowed our entire team to pitch in and see firsthand the impact they will have on thousands of people,” Schneps added.
In total, volunteers from Schneps Media packed over 3,000 emergency food packages.
The emergency food packages will be delivered to Citymeals recipients between September and October. The meal packages are delivered each fall, ensuring recipients will have food in case the winter weather delays regular meal deliveries.
“The people we serve can no longer shop and cook for themselves,” said Beth Shapiro, executive director of Citymeals on Wheels. “Citymeals ensures they have a nourishing meal and a friendly check-in each day of the year.”
Shapiro stated that last year, 25,000 volunteers gave over 80,000 hours of service to Citymeals’ mission.
“We couldn’t have achieved all that we do without their dedication and compassion,” she added.
The Joan & Bob Tisch Emergency Meal Distribution Center, located at 309 Drake Street in Hunts Point, opened in late October and replaced the organization’s previous facility located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The distribution center, which has enabled Citymeals to increase its efforts to deliver emergency meals on weekends and holidays to more than 18,000 frail New York seniors, also can accommodate up to 250 volunteers at one time to pack emergency food boxes.
The new facility even allows Citymeals to store up to 55,000 emergency meals which are ready to be packed and distributed at a moment’s notice.
Last year, Citymeals delivered nearly 300,000 meals to over 2,500 meal recipients, according to Citymeals, which has also delivered 60 million meals since the organization was founded in 1981.
Schneps Media, a family-owned business, publishes community newspapers, including the Bronx Times Reporter, specialty publications, magazines, digital, social media, festivals, conferences, and broadcasting, throughout the five boroughs, Long Island and lower Westchester.
