They can spin all they want, but the city’s Department for the Aging (DFTA) is already justifying the community’s worst fears about the Meals on Wheels pilot program in the Bronx. 

It’s bad enough that that RAIN, one of the two agencies that got the contract to deliver the meals, has been hours late in bringing meals to many of its elderly, homebound clients. But DFTA also seems to have misled the public when they promised, after much outcry, that seniors who wanted to get hot, rather than frozen, meals would be able to do so. As we report in this issue, even though some seniors are receiving hot meals, they all were originally "flash frozen," something DFTA and RAIN didn’t bother to reveal during hearings on the issue last spring. Sadly, in addition to the city administration, many of our local elected officials supported this ill-conceived plan. That support is tainted by RAIN’s close connections to DFTA and its director’s financial contributions to members of the Bronx Democratic organization. 

To his credit, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión broke with his allies in the organization and denounced the pilot last spring, when we applauded his action. 

We hope the borough president will now raise his voice once again.