July 26, 2011, 2:41pmBy Devra FerstFor many of the 1.4 million hungry people in New York there is little or no access to sustainable and locally sourced food. Out of necessity, many food pantries and soup kitchens historically stocked take-home bags and filled plates with mass-produced food from far away places, frozen veggies and canned legumes.  

June 29, 2011 BROOKLYN — In its last fiscal year, from July 2009 to June 2010, Masbia, the kosher soup kitchen organization, opened three new kitchens with the help of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and United Jewish Appeal-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies.In addition to its original kitchen in Borough Park, Masbia now has one in Williamsburg, one in Flatbush and one in Rego Park, Queens. In this year of transition from one kitchen to a four-kitchen network, the organization served 55,923 meals.

NY Daily News: Kosher soup kitchen Masbia is hungry for aid In these tough times, even people who help people have to find ways to save money doing it.For the last few weeks, Masbia has been serving chicken wings."We used to give whole chickens, based on family size, or maybe thighs and breasts," said Alexander Rapaport, co-founder and executive director of the Brooklyn-based, kosher soup kitchen. "But for the last few weeks, we`ve started to give chicken wings only. We`re not exactly in a deficit, but we have to cut corners."

Food banks around the country are implementing new policies to combat rising food costs and food shortages as more people are struggling to get enough to eat.On July 1, for the first time ever, Washington, DC`s Capital Area Food Bank will charge its members for fruits and vegetables. The charge of 10 cents per pound affects the approximately 700 agencies that rely on the organization to help feed the hungry. The cost of food has risen to an all-time high this year; the Food Bank needs to offset the extra $1 million spent of fresh produce. As a result of this produce charge, regional hunger relief organizations are having to stretch their dollar further. Food for Others pantry in Fairfax, Virginia will have to pay an additional $40,000, a quarter of its purchased food budget. Bread for the City, DC`s largest food pantry, is planning to find additional produce by scavenging for fruit on trees in public places.

April 11, 2011For the last 36 hours dozens of volunteers have turned the Masbia central kitchen into a Passover grocery store. They have been  arranging a large-scale display of donated Passover staples such as matzah, potato starch, nuts, chicken, meat, oil, grape juice, produce and much more, to be distributed to single mothers. These foods were donated by the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, City Harvest, Food Bank and purchased with money from private donations.

Thursday, 31 March 2011Written by 5TJT Staff BROOKLYN, NY -- New York City Comptroller John Liu visited the Masbia soup kitchen on Coney Island Avenue. As chief fiscal officer for New York City, Liu experienced firsthand the plight of New York`s unfortunate and the effect that the current state of the economy has on real people.The soup kitchen guests, who arrived for dinner, were greeted by surprise volunteer Liu dressed in a Masbia apron and ready to serve them a hot, nourishing meal. The site opened in November 2009 as part of the Met Council and UJA response to the economic crises. It is one of three soup kitchens opened during the recession. The kitchen on Coney Island Avenue serves as the central kitchen and prepares 500 dinners a day, which get distributed to the four sites. Meals are cooked on a daily basis with an emphasis on fresh produce from the New York City Food Bank and City Harvest.

March 30, 2011 BROOKLYN, NY -- New York City Comptroller John Liu visited Masbia soup kitchen on Coney Island Ave. As Chief Fiscal Officer for  New York City, Liu experienced firsthand the plight of New York’s unfortunate and the effect that the current state of the economy has on real people.The soup kitchen guests, who arrived for dinner, were greeted by surprise volunteer Liu dressed in a Masbia apron and ready to serve them a hot, nourishing meal. The site on Coney Island Ave. opened in November 2009 as part of the Met Council and UJA response to the economic crises. It is one of three soup kitchens opened during the recession. The kitchen on Coney Island Ave. serves as the central kitchen and prepares 500 dinners a day, which get distributed to the four sites. Meals are cooked on a daily basis with an emphasis on fresh produce from the New York City Food Bank and City Harvest.

Thursday, February 17, 2011by Jason Cohen REGO PARK, N.Y. -- With the belief that no one should ever go to sleep hungry, the nonprofit group Masbia opened its fourth soup kitchen in Rego Park almost a year ago. Masbia, which brought in about $30,000 at a breakfast fundraiser last Sunday — with the promise of more to come — boasts that it is the only kosher food pantry in New York.In addition to Rego Park, Masbia also operates soup kitchens in Flatbush, Boro Park, and Williamsburg. Two years ago, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and Henry Orenstein helped bring Masbia to Rego Park.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 Tamar Snyder and Staff reportsAs this week’s blizzard blanketed New York City in snow, Jewish Community Councils and other organizations scrambled to continue providing much-needed services in the hardest-hit neighborhoods, as well as meet emergency needs.“All of our home care workers got to the homebound clients across the city,” said William Rapfogel, executive director of Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, adding that the agencies serve some 2,500 clients a day. In addition, the organization’s affordable housing has been able to serve as a resource for not only the residents but in some neighborhoods, the community as well. “Some of our residents in places like Sea Gate, Brooklyn, and Co-Op City, The Bronx, have been able to help others who came in for a warm place,” Rapfogel said.

October 6, 2010 REGO PARK, QUEENS -- City Councilmember Mark S. Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) recently visited the Orenstein MetCouncil  Masbia Community Kitchen on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, where a soup kitchen serves nutritious meals to thosein need. “Masbia is doing a tremendous job in feeding the hungry here in Queens,” Weprin said. “At a time of economic downturn, people rely on this service to help make ends meet.” Masbia soup kitchen started as a grassroots charity to feed the hungry. Over the past five years, it has served more than 250,000 kosher meals. Masbia operates soup kitchens in Queens and Brooklyn.