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'Meals On Wheels' Suffering From Economic Crisis

NEW YORK (CBS) ― This economic crisis could make a bas situation even worse for some of New York's neediest.

That's because the local charities they rely on for help may not be able to help anymore.

Wall Street's troubles are trickling down to the people who can least afford them.

And for City Meals on Wheels, which has seen its donations and contributions dwindle over the last year, there are hard choices ahead. There are tens of thousands of shut-in seniors in the city who rely on these hot meals, often as their only meal.

"They see the people bringing the food," Meals on Wheels volunteer Millie Valentin said. "They're like family. It's gonna be horrible."

The harsh reality is that the organizers have been forced to slash 800,000 meals from the City Meals on Wheels program.

Last year, City Meals on Wheels served three million meals.

"I can't do without it," Mercedes Ruiz said.

Ruiz – 88-years-old and still sharp as a tack – says she fears economic troubles will hurt a charity's ability to serve the community.

"As we get older, we're getting less and less capable of doing things for ourselves," Ruiz said. "Particularly cooking."

That's why City Meals on Wheels' Executive Director Marcia Stein hopes even as Wall Street takes a beating, supporters continue giving.

"I hope when they're making choices about how to spend money, they think about buying meals for our homebound neighbors," Stein said.

One hundred percent of your donation goes toward preparing and delivering a hot meal

One concern shared by all charities is that the market turmoil is happening so close to the holiday season, the time of year when they rely on their heaviest contributions.

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