“The seniors we serve are homebound for a variety of reasons. Some suffer from amputation, mobility issues, Parkinson’s disease, sight issues, dementia, and lack of social support from family or friends.
We are proud to be able to meet the unique needs of our seniors. For example, one of our seniors is Hindu and cannot eat meat. Our community partner restaurant was kind enough to commit to making a delicious vegetarian meal for her every week.
Another senior has Parkinson’s disease which makes it difficult for her to get up and open two doors. Instead, our volunteers go directly inside to meet her and drop off the meal.
All of the recipients in the program benefit from the meal delivery service, not only nutritionally, but socially. Our volunteers are kind-hearted and selfless individuals, who take time to chat with each recipient. Sometimes, this interaction is the only socialization the individual will have that day, or even that week.”
The Aisling Center (AICC) shares a common goal with Gramatan Village and WESTCOP/ECAP: to provide comprehensive services to local seniors, including their physical, mental, and social service needs.
Since 2023, we have collaborated with Grace Gilmer from Gramatan Village and Denise Chin at WESTCOP/ECAP to identify seniors in their network that may benefit from our meal delivery service.
Gramatan Village focuses on helping seniors in the BET area age in their homes by providing services such as financial planning, transportation, and referrals to trusted agencies for services that they do not provide, such as our weekly meal delivery. As their partner, AICC delivers meals to clients of Gramatan Village.
We partner with WestCOP/ECAP to support their Kitchen and Pantry program that provides food deliveries to residents in need in the BET area. Our partnership allows ECAP to further support their senior population with referrals to AICC for an additional meal.
Although all 3 organizations support senior citizens, AICC is unique in its longstanding relationship with a local partners and our dedicated group of volunteers who carry out this program every week.
We obtain our meals from the Rambling House restaurant, building on a well-established 20-year partnership. We have cultivated a committed group of longtime volunteers who are responsible for making deliveries to program participants each week.
We provide seniors with a nutritious meal and also create meaningful connections between volunteers and seniors, helping to combat the social isolation and loneliness that many homebound seniors experience.
West M. (2021). Health Checks for Care. Delaware journal of public health, 7(2), 54–62. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8352473/
The Aisling (ASH-LING) Irish Community and Cultural Center (AICC) is dedicated to serving vulnerable populations across Yonkers, the BET target area, Westchester, and the greater New York City area since 1997.
Aisling collaborates with a broad spectrum of: welfare, immigration, cultural, and legal entities, including agency partners, to ensure continued ability to make sound referrals for client needs that are beyond our scope.
AICC has been a Community Fund grantee since 2020.