We Made The News! Purim Food Packaging Article

The Purim holiday which took place this past weekend was a lot more festive for hundreds of people in Brooklyn, thanks to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, which distributed food packages to families in Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park and Borough Park as part of its Kosher Food Network.

Volunteers from the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush and the Jewish Community Council of Far Rockaway delivered 500 two-person meals to homes on Friday, March 14, in time for the Jewish festival.

The food giveaway allowed residents to partake in holiday festivities despite the often prohibitive costs of kosher food, organizers said. The meal included traditional staples such as challah, stuffed cabbage, vegetable soup, chicken, and potato kugel.

“Purim is a time for celebration and thanks to a generous Met Council supporter, 1,000 food insecure New Yorkers will be able to join the Jewish community in marking the occasion with joy and dignity,” Metropolitan Council CEO and Executive Director David M. Frankel said prior to the food distribution.

“There are a half a million poor and near poor Jewish New Yorkers who struggle to feed their family every day. These 1,000 meals will allow our clients to observe the holiday with a traditional and nutritious meal that otherwise would have been price prohibitive. Many of our clients are in a unique need because of the additional expense of kosher food: on average a kosher meal is 30 percent more expensive,” Frankel said.

Purim is one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. On Purim it is customary to give charity to those in need and to deliver gifts of food to neighbors.

The Purim meal packages were part of Metropolitan Council’s year-round Kosher Food Network, a project that provides a holistic care program of food packages, emergency food vouchers and prepared meals to supplement food to low-income households throughout New York. 

The Metropolitan Council also fights poverty throughout the year by providing $460,975 in Food Gift Cards to needy families and by delivering 9,360 meals to home-bound seniors.

In anticipation of Jewish holidays, the council increases the amount of food distributed and food cards delivered, officials said.

By Paula Katinas

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

News Article Here

Purim Food Packaging 2014

This Thursday, at Met Council’s Food Pantry Warehouse in Canarsie, Brooklyn, volunteers came together and packaged over 500 meals that will be delivered on Friday, March 14th to Jewish families all over Brooklyn. An anonymous contributor donated the food to Met Council in order to ensure everyone celebrated the holiday Purim.

News reporters arrived to document the amazing effort being put forth by all those onsite in order to make this event a memorable one. Met Council Executive Director, David Frankel, was present to interact with volunteers and also speak on behalf of why it’s so important Met Council continues its fight against poverty.

Check out the link below in order to read more about the story and to watch our volunteers talk about how rewarding the experience was!

Volunteers prepare food donations for Purim at Met Council Food Pantry in Canarsie

February 2014 Volunteer of the Month- Scott Rader!

Congratulations to Scott Rader, our February 2014 Volunteer of the Month!

Over the past year and a half, Scott Rader has become an active MVP member and volunteer with Met Council and continues to impress our staff with his dedication. We’ve nominated Scott because of his commitment to our mission, his active participation and enthusiasm for our MVP group, and the positive energy he shares with his fellow MVPs and in giving back to our low-income seniors.

Scott is a young, distinguished lawyer at Mintz Levin where he practices white collar defense and commercial  litigation. With his little free time he plays tennis, trains for his upcoming sprint triathlon, and volunteers. He first came to Met Council a little over a year and a half ago with the introduction of a coworker and joined our group of motivated young professionals, called MVP. Scott has really enjoyed the opportunity to build relationships with like minded individuals and has described MVP as “a great group of generous and selfless people with great potential for growth.” He also receives great support from colleagues and has generously arranged the use of his workplace on several occasions to host MVP meetings.

For Scott, the most rewarding aspect of volunteering and MVP has been the opportunity to meet new people and enhance someone’s day. He has spearheaded the initiative to create an ongoing volunteer “Friendly Visiting” event at our low-income senior housing site to develop lasting relationships with residents. It is a valuable program that can “span the gap between generations and alleviate isolation.” He firmly believes in the importance of raising awareness on the growing issue of poverty and the value in meeting and working with Met Council clients.

For all this, we would like to showcase our appreciation for Scott and his passion to share and grow our base of supporters and volunteers. Thank you!

Get Involved- Take Action- Become a Volunteer Leader!

Do you find yourself taking the lead with your coworkers and classmates on projects? 
Are you looking for a consistent Sunday volunteer opportunity? 
Do you have contagious positive energy?
Are you very responsible but easy going and personable?

If you said yes to these questions, you could be our next Volunteer Leader!

Demonstrate your commitment and dedication to fighting poverty in NYC with Met Council by taking the step to become one of our select Volunteer Leaders. 

Leaders help us to expand capacity by running our weekly Sunday Senior Lunch Program at the Spitzer Residence.  They are role models and change-makers, spreading the word and enthusiasm for volunteerism and commitment to the community. 

A leader's responsibilities include leading up to two Sunday programs each month at our senior residence. They give the volunteer orientation, receive the catering order, direct volunteers' activities, socialize, and act as a representative for Met Council.

Volunteer Leaders are valuable to us and each year, they receive special awards at our annual Volunteer Recognition event and often show up on our Volunteer of the Month page too!

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact volunteer@metcouncil.org with the subject line: VOLUNTEER LEADER

SOAP Up New York 2014 Success!

 Last week, 38 volunteers joined Met Council and SOAP (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) to raise awareness of human trafficking, the second fastest growing criminal industry in the U.S. Over 27 million people worldwide, including 2 million children are victims of human trafficking or modern-day slavery.

On Wednesday, volunteers sat for hours helping us label over 10,000 bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline and made over 50 folders of educational materials for distribution to hotels in Manhattan. The work was tedious, but they were committed to the cause.

Then on Thursday evening, over 30 volunteers joined us for an orientation led by Family Violence staff, Micol Rieger who works directly with victims of sex trafficking at Met Council. Volunteers were trained and prepared with materials and maps to head to hotels around Manhattan and spread the word on the issue and give out the free soaps.

Such an effort will increase our chances of reaching a victim who may come through the area with the thousands of other tourists pouring in for the Super Bowl. That cold evening, volunteers were successful in delivering 56 packets of Missing Children posters and info on "red flags" and well over 11,000 bars of soap. 11,000 more opportunities to reach someone in need and give them the resources they need.

We would like to share our thanks and appreciation to our staff and volunteers with which this campaign was possible. We look forward to hosting this event again in the spring as well so stay tuned for more information!

SOAP Up New York 2014

TAKE ACTION!

Protect human rights and provide support to victims of sex trafficking with Met Council and S.O.A.P. (Protect Our Children from Prostitution) this coming week!

Over 400 volunteers in New York and New Jersey will come together to distribute tens of thousands of soap bars labeled with the National Human Trafficking Hotline and posters of missing children to hotels ahead of the Super Bowl. Large sporting events like the Super Bowl attracts thousands of tourists each year and is linked to higher incidents of sex trafficking.

By providing these outreach materials to hotels and making the hotline more readily available, we will increase the likelihood of reaching a missing child or sex trafficking victim. You can be a part of our campaign! We can only reach these victims with your help- luckily, there are different options for you to participate during the day or after work:

URGENT NEED- SOAP Up New York– ReWrap
Midtown Manhattan
Wednesday, January 29th- 10am to 1pm
Before we head out to canvass hotels, we need your help to rewrap bars of soap with the vital information and National Human Trafficking Hotline. This is a great opportunity for shy or young volunteers who still want to make an impact on this growing issue.
- Individuals and groups welcome.
- Volunteers must be 14+. 
- You MUST register to attend this event. Please click here to register.
 


URGENT NEED- SOAP Up New York– Canvassing
Midtown Manhattan
Thursday, January 30^th, 2014- 6:30pm
Volunteers will be thoroughly trained on this issue, how to approach hotel managers, and then supplied with the tools, maps, and materials necessary to canvass hotels in midtown Manhattan.
- Individuals and groups welcome though we suggest signing up as a pair or small group, otherwise we will assign you a partner.
- Volunteers must be 18+.
- You MUST register to attend this training. Please click here to register.

For more information on either of these opportunities, please contact Simone Carvalho at scarva@metcouncil.org or 212-453-9675.

MLK Day 2014 Recap

Yesterday for the MLK Day of Service, 8 volunteers of various ages and painting experience took action as thousands of others did across the country to commemorate the holiday. They made it a "day on- not a day off!"

Our volunteers repainted the community room of Met Council's Spitzer Residence, a moderate-income senior housing site in Manhattan.Within 3 hours, they completed the task with meticulous attention to detail- professionals couldn't have done it better! Thanks to their efforts, residents can enjoy the freshly repainted room for their weekly luncheons and other special occasions. 

 Thank you! Be sure to join us next year for this National Day of Service!