Citymeals on Wheels helping seniors in need with emergency food boxes. It's a lesson learned from 9/11.

September is National Preparedness Month, and it falls right in the heart of hurricane season. 

For homebound, food-insecure seniors, flooding can mean more than inconvenience. It can mean complete isolation. 

Citymeals on Wheels is stepping up, trying to distribute life-saving meals across New York City in case of emergencies. The organization delivers around 2 million meals annually to more than 20,000 older New Yorkers across all five boroughs. More than half are over age 80. 

"The people really need the food" 

Inside a Bronx warehouse, the team at Citymeals on Wheels is racing against the calendar, packing emergency food kits, and hoping to get them out before the next major storm hits. 

"The people really need the food," project manager Steven Gomez said. 

Gomez has helped oversee meal deliveries for two years. He says the emergency kits matter most, and it shows on the faces of the recipients. 

"It's very important to pre-supply our recipients because they don't have access to additional food," Citymeals on Wheels chief operating officer Rachel Sherrow said. 

Citymeals on Wheels is delivering nearly 20,000 food kits by mid-October, all containing shelf-stable meals that are ready to eat and drink. With New York experiencing more extreme weather in recent years, officials are emphasizing the growing importance of these meals. 

Emergency meal plan is a lesson of 9/11

The boxes carry more that just food - they carry a message.

"Somebody is looking out for them. Someone is being proactive," Sherrow said. 

Sherrow said the idea was born from tragedy after the 9/11 attacks. 

"When 14th Street and below in Manhattan were shut down, and our homebound older adults were unable to get to stores," Sherrow said. 

Learning from the past to protect the future, one box at a time.