Met Council Volunteers packing boxes of Passover food. Image by Courtesy of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty

By Irene Katz Connelly April 8, 2020

Ahead of Passover, the Met Council for Jewish Poverty, a New York-based charity, delivered hundreds of thousands of packages of kosher-for-Passover food to senior citizens and others stuck at home because of coronavirus.

Stacks of produce awaiting delivery. Image by Courtesy of the Met Council for Jewish Poverty

With many afraid or unable to leave the house because of coronavirus, or facing financial instability because of coronavirus-related economic slowdown, the Met Council faced unprecedented levels of need this Passover. In a typical year, said Met Council CEO David Greenfield, the nonprofit serves 180,000 people in the month before the holiday. This year, it has provided assistance to 201,000 people in the New York City area.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Met Council Volunteers loading a vehicle for delivery. Image by Courtesy of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty

The Met Council has delivered Passover staples, including 129,000 bottles of grape juice and 1,150,000 of potatoes, onions and apples. But packages also included Jewish delicacies from borscht, gefilte fish, hearts of palm, and pickles.

Packages of food awaiting delivery. Image by Courtesy of the Met Council on Jewish Poverty

The Met Council runs the country’s largest network of kosher food pantries and is the world’s largest distributor of free kosher-for-Passover food.

Irene Katz Connelly is an editorial fellow at the Forward. You can contact her at [email protected].

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount