City Harvest has commenced their annual city-wide Passover Food Drive to collect kosher food items for Passover to help feed Jewish families across the city. City Harvest will deliver all food collected during the Passover Food Drive to 24 kosher food programs at organizations such as Masbia and Bnai Raphael across the five boroughs, including in neighborhoods such as Flatbush, Kew Garden Hills, Forest Hills, Borough Park and Flatlands.
This year, Passover starts at sundown on April 5. During the eight-day holiday, many Jewish communities refrain from eating leavened foods like bread, which can make finding affordable food more difficult.
"City Harvest’s annual Passover Food Drive is a crucial way we are able to help ensure Jewish New Yorkers who are experiencing food insecurity have access to kosher food for the holiday," said Jilly Stephens, CEO of City Harvest. "Every year, City Harvest delivers thousands of pounds of kosher food to our 24 kosher food program partners and this year is no different as observant families that keep kosher continue to struggle to put food on their tables."
According to the UJA Federation of New York, 30% of Jewish households across the city are living near or below the poverty line and kosher food prices are up 16%. Meanwhile, average monthly visits to New York City food pantries and soup kitchens remain up more than 70% since before the pandemic.
Last year, City Harvest’s Passover Food Drive collected and delivered over 23,000 pounds of kosher food.
For more information, visit www.cityharvest.org/food-drives
