The annual pre-Passover food distribution by the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn (UJO) in partnership with the Met Council – that took place today (Sunday) in the Brooklyn Navy Yard – will help feed many thousands during the upcoming Passover holiday.

The UJO’s annual distribution is conducted in a drive thru system, with two rows of open-trunked cars passing pallets of the distributed items, and crews unloading cases of food products into their cars. It was amazing to watch, during the span of many hours, as an endless row of cars kept moving, and each of them emerged from the drive-thru line with a car load of Passover staples.

This distribution is very important in advance of the Passover holiday, when families face a limited and expansive Kosher for Passover food selection, and Hasidic families only eat what they prepare themselves in their own kitchens. It requires purchasing large quantities of the Passover staples, something that many families, unfortunately, cannot afford. The annual distribution assists many of these families to enjoy a happy Passover, and assure that they aren’t going hungry for the eight-day holiday.

The distribution was joined by NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson, Assemblymen Joe Lentol and Dov Hikind, Councilmembers Steve Levin, Laurie Cumbo and Rafael Espinal, Mr. Pinny Ringel of Mayor de Blasio’s Community Assistance unit, Mr. Pinny Hikind of Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office, District Leader Nick Rizzo, and many others who came to show support for this mega charitable endeavor.

“This distribution only took place thanks to Met Council. Many thousands of families – in Williamsburg an throughout the City and beyond – will happily celebrate the Passover, and have happier and easier lives year-round, thanks to this important organization,” said Rabbi David Niederman, Executive Director of the UJO. “I want to express our appreciation to Agger Fish Corp. and its president Mr. Marc Agger for providing the warehouse for this year’s distribution. It is a major contribution to the neighborhood. I also want to thank the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the NYPD’s 88th Precinct as well as the volunteers from the Williamsburg Safety Patrol (WSPU), for their assistance with making today’s distribution a success.”

“The Passover Haggadah teaches us to ‘let all who are hungry come to our table,”’ said Met Council CEO and Executive Director David M. Frankel. “With one in four Jewish New Yorkers struggling to feed their families kosher and nutritious foods, Met Council’s extraordinary staff works every day with our Jewish Community Council network — located on the front lines in all five boroughs — and City and State agency partners to provide dignified solutions to hunger. The 2.2 million pounds of food and $430,000 in food cards we distribute prior to Pesach will enable our clients to observe the holiday with a traditional and nutritious meal that otherwise would have been price prohibitive.”

“We thank Rabbi Niederman and the UJO of Williamsburg for their tireless efforts to provide for New Yorkers in need, and for all they did to make today’s food distribution such a great success,” Mr. Frankel concluded.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)