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NEW YORK, February 6, 2009 -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg today joined Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Jewish Labor Committee, Greg Rosenbaum, owner and CEO of Empire Kosher and Wendell Young, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 to present a large donation of 50,000 pounds of poultry to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty (Met Council) for needy families and the frail elderly who rely on kosher food pantries. The presentation took place at the Oneg Shabbos Food Pantry in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn. William Rapfogel, president of the Met Council accepted the food donation on behalf of the anti-poverty organization.
Empire Kosher, the Jewish Labor Committee and the Met Council are working together to provide emergency food for thousands of needy New Yorkers. Empire Kosher Poultry, Inc. is the largest kosher poultry producer in the world with facilities in central Pennsylvania. Empire produces kosher chickens and kosher turkeys for the North American market through a fully integrated process starting with breeder farms, egg hatchery, feed mill, grow out houses and processing facilities.
Met Council provides more than 4.5 million pounds of kosher food to needy households in New York City every year, making it the largest kosher food pantry in the nation. Met Council serves 13,000 families each month in Jewish communities throughout the five boroughs with its 35 distribution sites. Families that keep Kosher find it especially difficult to put food on the table. In the past, the protein that was most consistently available for distribution by Met Council's Food Pantry was canned tuna. Earlier today, due to the immediate need for kosher food donations, Empire delivered 4,500 pounds of kosher poultry to Met Council and will continue to supply them throughout 2009.
Mayor Bloomberg said "With so many New Yorkers are facing tough times, we must all do everything we can to tackle our challenges together as a City," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Our Administration recently provided emergency food programs across the City with $1.3 million worth of additional frozen foods, but many programs need help from others, too. I applaud New York City's Jewish Labor Committee, Empire Kosher, and the Met Council for stepping in and coming together to help those struggling in these hard economic times."
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Jewish Labor Committee said "Empire is an example of how a company can do well while doing good. At a time when all we hear about is corporate greed, they're a reminder that the truly successful businesses are those that work with unions and give back to the community. America would be better off if more companies followed their example."
Greg Rosenbaum, owner and CEO of Empire Kosher stated "For more than 66 years, Empire has been proud to provide the finest kosher poultry products. Empire Kosher, our suppliers, our kosher certifying organizations, our employees and our consumers are glad to be able to make this important contribution to our community. When consumers decide what to purchase for Shabbat, they can not only feed their own families but also help feed less fortunate kosher keeping families in New York City by supporting Empire. In such tough times, we need to be sure that every family in our community has access to healthy and wholesome foods. I hope to see our kosher industry colleagues join us and do all they can to help this vital program."
William Rapfogel, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty said "Maintaining a steady supply of kosher chicken has always been extremely difficult for us in the past. These donations will help feed thousands of families, just as more and more people are reaching out for help. We are grateful to Empire for their generosity and to the Jewish Labor Council for coordinating this donation."
Wendell Young, IV, President, United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1776 said "On behalf of the members and officers of UFCW Local 1776 I want to thank Empire Kosher for its generous donation to this worthy cause. Empire has a proud 70-year history of serving our nation's kosher communities. Local 1776 is honored to represent the more than 500 men and women who work in Empire's Mifflintown plant, and we're especially proud that our members and Empire set the highest standards in the industry for quality products and workers' safety."
To contact the Met Council food program call 718-763-5318 or email food@metcouncil.org