A Concourse Village man is sharing how a city program has become a lifeline for his access to food.

Bernito is homebound after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and vertigo. With his condition, grocery shopping is no longer an option.

He receives weekly groceries from Citymeals on Wheels.

“I shake a lot, and sometimes I can’t go downstairs because I get dizzy. I get dizzy a lot.”

Bernito receives deliveries twice a week from Citymeals on Wheels, a program that provides food to more than 22,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers each year.

“Soup, some food to warm up, and I got some milk," he says. Help

Each box has multiple meals that he can heat in the microwave.

It's a big help, since preparing food on his own has become difficult with his condition.

“I have to get a pan, clean the dishes, prepare the meat or the rice or the beans. It takes me a while, and sometimes I can’t do it I get dizzy," he says.

Bernito says that the meals he gets are a saving grace.

“Everything would be worse. With no help, maybe I couldn’t make it out here," he says.

Citymeals on Wheels is currently distributing emergency food packages with shelf-stable items in preparation for potential summer blackouts.

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