For the first time in more than a decade, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is to receive federal funding for its programs, which include 101 food pantries, 20 affordable housing sites and 15 Jewish community centers in New York City and surrounding areas.
“This tremendous influx of resources will be used to bolster our emergency food program, allowing us to touch the lives of so many more individuals and families grappling with food insecurity,” David Greenfield, Met Council CEO, told JNS.
“This isn’t just about numbers,” he added. “It’s about making a profound, tangible difference in our communities, providing a lifeline in the form of food for those who need it most.”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the House Democratic leader, announced the $1 million in funding at an event in Brooklyn during which 500 boxes of food were distributed.
“Met Council has done tremendous work—but that work was urgently necessary when a once-in-a-century pandemic struck our community, struck the nation and struck the world,” Jeffries said. “Met Council has really been a shelter in the time of storm.”
Met Council is the largest U.S. distributor of free kosher food, providing more than 21 million pounds of food to more than 250,000 New Yorkers last year.
