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NY Daily News Writes About Hunger In Borough Park
Borough Park soup kitchen is hungry for more aid
Daily news reporter Joyce Shelby - October 30, 2007
It`s a scene Alexander Rapaport has observed far too often on his way to the Borough Park soup kitchen he runs - elderly Hasidic men or neatly-dressed Hasidic women going through garbage bins searching for food.
"Just this morning, I saw a very old man with a plastic bag going through the garbage," said Rapaport, who is in charge of Masbia, a public kitchen serving hot, kosher dinners Sundays through Thursdays.
"As I tried to catch up with the man to tell him he didn`t have to do that, I ran into someone who recognized him and said he would help," Rapaport said.
The close-knit religious community is one where the wealthy, the middle class and the poor all live together within walking distance of over 200 synagogues.
"The people who have resources are enthusiastic in trying to help their neighbors," Rapaport said. But emergency-service providers say they are feeling the pinch for several reasons.
Rents in the crowded community and kosher food prices are climbing. And most families pay to send their kids to private religious schools.
"At a time when we`re receiving more calls than ever, we`re receiving between 25% to 30% less food from the federal government," said Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, executive director of Oneg Shabbos, a food pantry that gives out 1,100 food packages a week.
"More people have lost their jobs, jobs that were outsourced to China and India," Deutsch said. "Our donations are down 40% to 60%."
The problems in Borough Park exist all over Brooklyn, according to a new Food Bank for New York City report.
The number of Brooklynites who experienced difficulty affording needed food increased by 75% between 2003 and 2006.
About 84% of the households receiving food stamps used them up within three weeks and had to turn to soup kitchens or food pantries for the last part of the month.
During the last 12 months, 52% of Brooklyn`s emergency food providers have run out of food at one time or another. And all of the agencies are appealing for help.
Deutsch said his organization is searching for food in other parts of the country and trying to raise funds for a large warehouse.
Rapaport said he faces deficits because if food runs out, he must buy more so Masbia never has to turn anyone away.
"Coming here really helps," one young mother said as she shared a meal with her small children at Masbia last week. "I work every day and I get food stamps, but I just can`t make ends meet."
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