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Orthodox Union Establishes Kosher Food Lifeline, A New National Food Pantry Resource Center

June 17, 2019 from the Matzav.com:

"The Orthodox Union (OU) – the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox Jewish community – has established Kosher Food Lifeline (KFL), a new division created to help existing food pantries, Tomchei Shabbos programs and related social service agencies throughout the United States to provide nutritious kosher food to Jews in need. The new division offers need-based food programs assistance with procurement, kosher food distributor relationships, government grants and other logistical support that will improve their ability to meet the needs of their constituents."

"Kedem, a leader in the specialty food world with a focus on kosher, gluten free and all-natural foods, provided a $200,000 grant to launch the inaugural program in advance of Passover 2019. More than 150,000 pounds of Kosher-for-Passover food were distributed to 53 partner organizations who delivered it to communities in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois, Rhode Island and the New York tri-state area, supporting over 17,000 Jewish families in need."

"There are upwards of 215 food agencies in 24 states across the country that provide low-cost or free kosher food to individuals and families who have food access challenges. Reasons for food access challenges vary. Some individuals have serious economic barriers; some live in “kosher food deserts,” where there is an extremely limited supply of kosher food and high prices; some have limited mobility and require food delivery or manage some combination of all three."

"For more information about the Kosher Food Lifeline for kosher food pantries, please contact Allison Deal at 212-613-8336 or go to: https://www.ou.org/kfl."