QUEENS, N.Y. - Inside the Friendship Senior Center in Jamaica, Queens it's business as usual. Seniors like 96-year-old Chester Irving are taking part in programs, and enjoying the daily free lunch.

"World War II vet. Disabled. And this is the only place I can come to eat," Irving said.

It's a lifeline. But the staff has not been paid since August. Head chef Naquin Santos has worked there for 14 years. While he has not received his past five paychecks he says not showing up for work is not an option.

"I developed a relationship with them. It's like my mother and my father, so I would hate to just not feed them. So I come here to just support the seniors, it's not really about the check no more," Santos said.

Friendship Senior is one of five centers in Southeast Queens, run by the not-for-profit Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults, known as JSPOA.

It's partially funded by the city's Department for the Aging. Employees say they were told the agency cut their funding back in August because JSPOA is "no longer in compliance."  

Workers say they've been regularly dipping into their own pockets to pay for gas to transport seniors to and from the centers and have bought groceries and supplies for meals, even though they have not been paid.  

"We made do. Because we do realize if some people don't eat here, they probably won't eat today," said Danielle Carter-Gardener, director of Friendship Center.

Staff at another JSPOA site, the International Senior Center, say they are wrestling with the same financial issues. Some say it's beginning to affect their health and well-being.

"We got bills, late. I actually was stressed and my blood sugar went up and went in the hospital for a couple of days," said Amin Sheppard, Program Assistant at Internation Senior Center.

NY1 tried again to reach officials at JSPOA, but no one would return our messages.

As for the Department for the Aging, a spokeswoman said the city is still funding the centers but she repeatedly declined to comment when asked why the workers have not been paid.

She said only that the department is quote - "aware of the situation and is working to resolve it."