2020 is the year of the census.

Every ten years the United States Government is tasked with counting every single U.S citizen. While this may seem like needless red tape, the census is actually a crucial event that can greatly impact our community’s growth and prosperity. Over the next ten years, the Federal Government will determine its aid packages directly based on the results of the census. Many of the programs that people rely on – Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), Pell Grants and more – are distributed to communities in accordance with their size, as recorded in census data.

Agudath Israel of America encourages every household to participate and cooperate with the United States Census Bureau. Filling out the census only takes a few minutes and those moments can direct millions of dollars in Federal Aid, over the next ten years, to your community.

Another critical point where the census impacts our community is in political representation. The number of representatives our community has in the state and federal governments is based on census data. When people don’t fill out the census, the result is that the community has less political representation for their needs.

This month, Agudath Israel of America, in conjunction with the Boro Park JCC, is proud to present an additional incentive for census participation. Each household that completes the census will be entered into a raffle to win $2,500. Simply send a screenshot that you completed the census to [email protected] and your family will be included in the pot.

If you have already completed the census – no worries! Just complete the form on www.Agudah.org/census and you will be included as well.

The census can be completed at my2020census.gov or by calling 212.797.9000, extension 218.