Whether they’re large families struggling to feed their children, new immigrants with little income, or frail elderly people without nutritious food, Met Council’s kosher food program meets the needs of all who are hungry. Providing a holistic care program of food packages, emergency food vouchers and kosher soup kitchens, Met Council is meeting the complex needs of struggling New Yorkers. All food provided is kosher, making us a unique provider for the needy Jewish population. At the same time, all our nutritional resources are available to anyone in need, whether they keep kosher or not.
How Does the Food Pantry Work?
Met Council's incredible network of volunteers allows us to distribute 5.2 million pounds of food with only seven paid staff members. Using a fleet of three Met Council trucks, we pick up food from the Food Bank of New York City and numerous corporate donors and deliver it to our warehouse in Southern Brooklyn. Volunteers break down the food into packages for distribution. The trucks then deliver these packages to local Jewish Community Councils and other neighborhood-based organizations where volunteers distribute them to clients each month.
Kosher Soup Kitchens
Responding to the growing population of Jewish poor in Brooklyn and Queens, Met Council has partnered with Masbia to open 3 new kosher soup kitchens in the Flatbush, Williamsburg and Rego Park neighborhoods. The kitchens function as restaurants without cash registers; serving our clients with dignity and respect.
Food Vouchers
For the poorest in our communities, Met Council provides food vouchers which can be used to purchase perishable items and products in local grocery stores. These vouchers are an added means of support for severely poor households for whom a monthly food package is just not enough. Vouchers also help in emergency situations when a scheduled distribution is unavailable, and provide much-needed business to neighborhood grocery stores. In an average month, Met Council provides nearly $30,000 worth of food vouchers.
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