Jan 23, 2018

Jewish Families in Need Receive a “Helping Hand” With the Cost of Kosher Food

Your donations to the Annual Federation Campaign help subsidize the cost of kosher food for families struggling financially in Miami. The Helping Hands Food Ko-Op, a Federation partner agency, operates as an online grocery store and sells perishable kosher food products at deeply discounted prices. The program also receives many donated items and offers them to customers free of charge. Helping Hands clients are generally referred to the program by local Jewish organizations, schools and agencies, as well as rabbis and social-service professionals. “Our goal is to provide food with dignity,” said Rabbi Aharon Greenberg, Executive Director of Helping Hands. “We take people who would otherwise need handouts and offer a comfortable process to purchase kosher food.”

While Helping Hands’ array of available food products is restricted to perishables during most of the year, its offering of kosher-for-Passover foods is expanded to include packaged goods and most other culinary needs. Kosher food prices are highest at Passover time, placing a greater financial strain on observant Jewish families. Manufacturers deliver Passover food in bulk directly to Helping Hands and save participating families more than 50 percent of food costs at retail grocery stores, which can add up to several hundred dollars of savings per family.

When families need additional help, Helping Hands covers part, or even all, of their monthly food bills on a case-by-case basis. In extreme situations, the program raises additional funds for those struggling to pay their utilities or housing expenses.