Jeffries gave $1M to MET Council
House Democratic Leader and Congressmember Hakeem Jeffries spent this past Sunday distributing kosher and halal food with the Met Council, the nation’s largest Jewish charity, in Starrett City, Brooklyn. Jeffries also announced $1 million in federal funding for the organization.
“Met Council has really been a shelter in the time of storm for the people that I represent here in the 8th Congressional District,particularly East New York, Canarsie, Marine Park, Brighton Beach and Coney Island,” said Jeffries in a statement. “Met Council has done tremendous work—but that work was urgently necessary when a once in a century pandemic struck our community, struck the nation, and struck the world.”
Met Council is the largest free distributor of kosher food in the nation, and helped deliver over 21 million pounds of food to more than 250,000 New Yorkers last year, said the organization. Each month, it serves over 20,000 people in the surrounding district, which is mostly made up of immigrants and people of color.
The federal funding will be used to stock kosher and halal foods throughout pantries in Jeffries’ district. This represents Jeffries’ “enduring commitment” to his constituents and the Met, said his office.
“We are so thankful for this vital funding from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who has always been a champion for Met Council and for the Jewish community,” said Met Council CEO David Greenfield in a statement. “We know that Rep. Jeffries always has our backs in Washington and fights hard to make sure people have access to food, meals, and the services they need. We are grateful for his leadership and look forward to our continued partnership.”
East New York’s Jewish voters in Starrett City were also considered vital in shaking up the recent city council June primary, where longtime former Councilmember Charles Barron was “ousted” in favor of newcomer Chris Banks, reported Jewish Insider. Barron has been widely called Jeffries’ “rival” since he ran against him for a congressional seat back in 2012.
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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