East Hampton Coronavirus: Town Serves 2,500+ Meals To Seniors

EAST HAMPTON, NY — As the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus continues to rise — as of Saturday, there were 120 in East Hampton — town officials have been working hard to provide essential services both to seniors and community members in need.

East Hampton's human services department operates even in the pandemic, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at their office, located at 128 Springs Fireplace Road. Those in need of assistance are asked to call 631-329-6939.

Since the town's senior center closed on March 10, human services' staff have been providing well-balanced, nutritious meals for town residents who are 60 and over. Upon request, five frozen meals along with oatmeal, fresh fruit and tea bags are being distributed to seniors each week, town officials said.

The meals can be delivered by staff directly to the seniors' homes or picked up curbside at the senior center on Springs Fireplace Road. The demand for the meals continues to rise as the executive stay-at-home order remains in place, town officials said.

Currently, 264 seniors are receiving weekly meals — and a total of 2,554 frozen meals were distributed as of Monday, April 13.

Those who wish to receive frozen meals can call human services at 631-324-4138 to make arrangements.

In addition, the town’s human services staff personally checks in with more than 530 seniors every week; the phone calls are wellness checks and are meant to determine if residents are in need of assistance. If seniors or those with special needs wish to receive a weekly phone call, they should call human services and ask to be added to the list. Daily wellness calls are also being made for those seniors who are feeling socially isolated, town officials said.

Also, town staff and local volunteers continue to pick up and deliver groceries, prescriptions and other essentials free of charge. The free pickup and delivery of essentials are from local merchants who accept pre-paid phone orders, which include local markets, pharmacies and hardware stores. Those deliveries are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who are in need of a delivery must first call the human services department to receive a delivery window prior to placing an order.

East End Cares continues to offer a program where they assign each senior a volunteer buddy should those desire more extensive shopping, officials said. To date, 35 seniors are participating in the program. Those who wish to volunteer or are in need of assistance can email East End Cares at Eastendcares1@gmail.com

For the latest news on East Hampton Town’s response to COVID-19, follow @townofeasthampton on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for email and text alerts here and click on “Stay Connected."