At Win Parkway Restaurant in Bensonhurst, workers and volunteers cook, then deliver, hundreds of Chinese meals to home-bound senior citizens every day for free.

From Mill Basin to Sheepshead Bay, Bensonhurst to Coney Island, and neighborhoods in between, what started as a few dozen meals in mid-March ballooned to 560 Friday afternoon. 

Homecrest Community Services, a senior center for Chinese-speaking residents in south Brooklyn, came up with the idea after talking with people affected early in the year by the growing threat of the novel coronavirus, even before the city mandated bars and restaurants to be open for only takeout or delivery.  

"The restaurants in Chinatown for example. They had been impacted since January. The discussion they had was 'hey, the problem is not capital, lack of capital or funding, its lack of customers,” said Don Lee, Homecrest Community Services.

So Lee decided to meet two needs by bringing the restaurant to customers. In doing so, he lets seniors stay home. They are considered the most vulnerable during this pandemic.

"The best solution is for folks to stay home, but at the same time to strengthen their immune system, what better than to give them the food they're familiar with that's nutritious,” said Lee.

But it's getting expensive. Before the crisis, funding from the city's Department for the Aging only covered 80 lunches a day at the community center, and only five days a week.

But then gatherings were disallowed, so Lee's delivery service began.

Teams of volunteers make more than 200 stops a day, delivering lunches AND dinners all week. Lee has purchased protective equipment for the two dozen or so people helping with the effort.

Lee says food costs have doubled too. The price of tofu has doubled per package,and his delivery service might not be able to keep up. 

"We're getting donations, reserve that we have, friends and family," Lee said. "If nothing else, I will personally guarantee that we pay the tab. We hope that the city will consider what we're doing and make that part of the relief efforts.

A spokeswoman for the Department for the Aging said deliveries of meals to seniors around the city has already doubled to 38,000 since the crisis began. And anyone can still receive free meals from the city by calling 311 or going online.

A spokesman for the city's food czar Kathryn Garcia said she and her staff are considering how neighborhood eateries could logistically help in the fight to keep every New Yorker fed.

While covering more of Lee's expenses remains up in the air, Lee says filling bellies is the not the only benefit.

"Having hot meals in their hands once a day, and having that contact; that normalcy is just as important as the meal itself,” said Lee.