500 Holocaust Survivors in Community Will Receive Met Council Pesach Package by Uber Eats

Met Council is New York’s largest charity, and is behind many of the food distributions by many Jewish communities in New York City, providing basics like matzah, grape juice, produce, etc.
The logistics of this operation are staggering, but, as one can imagine, the logistical nightmare presented by the Coronavirus pandemic is unimaginable.
But the thousands of Holocaust survivors living in our area—with a tremendous population in Boro Park—still need the basic provisions for Yom Tov.
To address this, Met Council CEO, and former NYC Councilman, David Greenfield came upon the idea of partnering with Uber Eats to deliver a Pesach package to the homes of the survivors in Boro Park, Flatbush, Crown Heights, Canarsie, and Queens.
Greenfield spoke with BoroPark24 about this pilot program which he hopes can be continued for as long as it is needed, so these special men and women who have suffered enough are treated with the respect and the dignity they deserve.
“Met Council serves more low-income Holocaust survivors than any organization in the United States. Through the generosity of private donors, we set out to deliver to 300 Holocaust survivors. But the calls kept flooding in, and we are now at 500,” he explained.
“So many of the survivors have no one at all... they live utterly alone. But just to give you an example of the scope of the need—especially during this crisis; a woman called us on Erev Shabbos exclaiming that her 92-year-old mother lives in Queens. ‘I deliver food to her for every shabbos. But now I’m stuck at home with Coronavirus. It is unthinkable for me to go to her in these circumstances. Can you help?’”
“And of course, this is exactly the type of situation that we’re seeking to address through this program.”
The Uber driver picks up the package—including all the foods for the Seder, and much for the rest of Yom Tov, and leaves it outside the survivors’ doors, so as not to come in contact with them. Which is when one elderly survivor communicated through the door: ‘at least during the Holocaust I had someone to be with...’.
Which is why this innovative program is needed all the more, and why, according to Greenfield: “We are working around the clock to try and get to everyone who desperately needs meals. ”