Inflation is taking a bite out of buying groceries. That’s why Met Council orchestrated the largest free kosher food distribution in America over the course of just one month in partnership with UJA-Federation of New York. Met Council was able to provide fresh food packages to over 117,000 New Yorkers in need at 126 locations across New York City.
Over the last few weeks, hundreds of volunteers and dozens of elected officials helped distribute $4,050,000 worth of food with Met Council in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and other locations across the five boroughs. Accounting for an increased need, UJA-Federation of New York helped fund and facilitate the giveaway of 38,400 jars of honey and hundreds of thousands of pounds of fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, and glatt kosher chicken during the largest free Yom Tov distribution in the country.
“While others took time off, we’ve been working all summer to ensure Jewish New Yorkers had everything they needed to celebrate this Rosh Hashanah and I could not be prouder of the tremendous effort by Met Council’s staff and the UJA-Federation of New York, our hundreds of volunteers, and all the community organizations we partnered with over the last few weeks,” said David G. Greenfield, CEO of Met Council. “With the cost of food soaring due to inflation, none of this would have been possible without UJA-Federation of New York’s leadership and support. Due to their help, we were able to make a difference in the lives of thousands of New Yorkers ahead of Yom Tov.”
“We are very pleased to partner with Met Council to help Jewish New Yorkers celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Far too many in our community suffer from food insecurity, and we hope this extra support will bring happiness and comfort to many families during the Jewish New Year,” said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Congress Member Grace Meng, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Staten Island DA Michael McMahon, State Senators Joseph Addabbo Jr., Andrew Gounardes, Leroy Comrie Jr., John Liu, Gustavo Rivera, Robert Jackson, Zellnor Myrie, Assembly Members Peter Abbate Jr., Steven Cymbrowitz, William Colton, Helene Weinstein, Daniel Rosenthal, Jeffrey Dinowitz, David Weprin, Simcha Eichenstein, Jo Anne Simon, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Emily Gallagher, Khaleel Anderson, Andrew Hevesi, Mathylde Frontus, and Manny De Los Santos, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Members Kalman Yeger, Jim Gennaro, Ari Kagan, Eric Dinowitz, Selvena Brooks-Power, Crystal Hudson, Lynn Schulman, Lincoln Restler, Sandra Ung, Rita Joseph, Shahana Hanif, Mercedes Narcisse Linda Lee, and Carmen De La Rosa joined Met Council leaders and volunteers at various distribution in all five boroughs throughout the last couple of weeks.
“Hunger skyrocketed last year and even as New York City recovers, we sadly still see far too many struggling in the Jewish communities we serve. We wanted to ensure families and struggling New Yorkers had everything they needed for Rosh Hashanah so they could enter the new year with at least one less thing to worry about,” said Jessica Chait, Met Council’s managing director of food programs. “UJA-Federation of New York’s work and support made the scope of our ambition — reaching more than 117,000 people — achievable and they were vital in the success of our initiative. We are grateful for their partnership and I know there are thousands of families celebrating this new year who are grateful for UJA, too.”
Met Council is America’s largest Jewish charity dedicated to fighting poverty through comprehensive social services and by treating each client with compassion, integrity and respect. Met Council’s ten different departments are staffed by experts who help over 305,000+ clients each year and advocate on behalf of all needy New Yorkers.
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