Chamah Distributes 300,000 lbs of Food

The Coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating financial impact on many families and elderly in the New York area, leaving them unable to afford even the basics for Yom Tov.

For the past three years, Chamah has delivered food packages to hundreds of Jewish homes in the Crown Heights and Brighton Beach neighborhoods in Brooklyn before Yomim Tovim, but this year there was an unprecedented number of people in need of assistance.

Chamah rose to the occasion and distributed over 300,000 lbs of food to close to 2,000 families, and hand-delivered food packages to over 600 homes.

Each of the 600 families received meat, chicken, fish, macaroons and a case of wine or grape juice ensuring that they will have the necessary essentials to celebrate Pesach with joy and dignity. The packages ware delivered discreetly straight to the door in regular, unmarked delivery trucks, using local supermarket boxes.

All in all, Chamah distributed 50,000 lbs of meat and chicken, 75,000 eggs, 8,400 bottles of grape juice and wine, a few hundred lbs of cheese, 300,000 lbs of fresh produce, including 40,000 lbs of onions, 800 cases of apples, 40,000 lbs of potatoes, 25,000 lbs of sweet potatoes, 30,000 lbs of zucchini and eggplant, and 40,000 lbs of carrots.

Chamah, under the leadership of Rabbi Hillel Zaltzman, thanked the Hershkop brothers, who were instrumental in obtaining and managing the distribution of some of the produce, the members of the Beinoni Shul, who sponsored very generously, Shearith Israel Synagogue, David Greenfield of the Met Council who went out of his way to help Crown Heights, Joseph Zakon and Kedem Wine, City Harvest, all of the local volunteer groups, the New York City Police Department, and everyone in the community who so generously donated to this great cause.

It is not too late to take part in this mitzvah. Please consider sending your tax-deductible donation to Chamah, 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 300, New York, NY 10170, or visit chamah.org/donate.