Local Elected Officials Announce City will Provide Kosher Grab & Go Meals During Pandemic

The three elected officials representing Boro Park and Midwood have jointly announced that the New York City Department of Education will provide free kosher grab and go meals to all residents, following public outcry that the city isn’t including the special dietary menu in its free meals program.

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein posted the news on Twitter on Monday, along with Senator Simcha Felder and Councilman Kalman Yeger, that the city will provide the meals at public schools that are located in many Jewish neighborhoods including Boro Park and Midwood.

The meals, handed out by New York City, is being provided by Borenstein Caterers and is under the Volove Hashgacha.

"For the past few weeks DOE has been providing grab and go free meal service for all New Yorkers, with the exception of anyone who keeps kosher," said Senator Simcha Felder. "Today, that oversight was rectified and I am thankful to everyone who worked to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry."

"There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has upended untold numbers of lives," said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. "As children are out of school, it is vitally important to ensure that all kids have food to eat regardless of their religion or dietary needs. Today's announcement of Kosher food being available in neighborhoods across the city is a great step towards achieving food access equity for all children. Thank you Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza for your efforts in making this Kosher food available."

“I’m grateful to Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and Councilman Chaim Deutsch for working tirelessly to bring Kosher grab-and-go meals to our community,” said Councilman Kalman Yeger. “This is an important program and it took an incredible amount of quick thinking to get it done. Launching this program just one week after Pesach was no small feat, and I appreciate the Department of Education’s work to make this happen.”