VIDEO: Masbia Soup Kitchen Network Helps NYC Families Facing Food Insecurity During Jewish High Holidays
BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn — As Jewish families prepare to observe the High Holy Days, Masbia Soup Kitchen Network is working to make sure families facing food insecurity have access to nutritious food while maintaining important holiday traditions.
The nonprofit provides daily grocery pickups for about 200 to 250 families, while thousands more receive food deliveries through DoorDash.
Alexander Rapaport, executive director of Masbia Soup Kitchen Network, said food insecurity affects a significant portion of the community.
“The truth is it is one in five of us,” Rapaport said. “If you go on the train, one-fifth of your carriage is dealing with food insecurity in that year.”
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Volunteers at Masbia see families with children coming in to receive food assistance.
“I’ve seen people come in, I think people with their babies or, you know, their families and everything, and, obviously, you know, no one should go hungry,” said Laura Allen, a volunteer coordinator with Masbia Soup Kitchen Network.
The High Holiday season is also an important time for charitable giving. Donations help Masbia purchase and distribute food to families in need.
“The fact that we can help that. I think that’s a beautiful thing, and it’s a blessing,” Allen said.
Rapaport said donations can quickly translate into food for families.
“When people donate to us, it becomes very fast, something in people’s stomachs,” he said. “So it’s less than two weeks from a dollar donated to when a person eats.”
Masbia provides kosher staples that families can use to prepare meals during the High Holy Days, including grape juice, fish, chicken, tuna, potatoes, apples and onions.
Some of those foods have particular significance during the holiday season.
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“Fish is important. Chicken is important. All the fresh produce is what people just need for food, for basic sustenance, basic, nourishing foods,” Rapaport said. “Apples is kind of very popular for Rosh Hashanah; people dip the apples in honey.”
Masbia also uses technology to make receiving food assistance more convenient and preserve the dignity of those seeking help.
Through the Plentiful app, families can schedule designated pickup times rather than waiting in long lines.
“We can get people a small window, a time slot when they should show up and they get their food right then,” Rapaport said. “Not waiting an hour or two in a humiliating bread line, not wasting a lot of time.”
For families seeking food assistance or people who want to support Masbia’s work, more information is available on their website.