Apple industry donation to kosher soup kitchen will help 2,500 families celebrate Passover

Fishers, N.Y. – New York apple growers are helping to ensure that 2,500 local families facing hunger have apples to make charoset for Passover Seder this year.  

The New York Apple Association, Inc. (NYAA) is donating more than 3,000 pounds of apples to Masbia, the New York-based nonprofit kosher soup kitchen and food pantry.  New York Apple Sales, Inc., headquartered in Castleton, is donating another 3,000+ pounds of New York state apples. Masbia staff and volunteers will parcel the apples with other charoset ingredients into take-home kits for 2,500 client families.

Masbia announced today at a press conference at Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue that it plans to distribute 180,000 meals with a retail value of over $600,000 for this Passover, Masbia’s largest food distribution since its founding in 2005.

Charoset is a traditional food served during Seder, the evening ritual that observes the beginning of Passover. Charoset is a paste made of sweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Symbolically, it represents the mud that the ancient Israelites used to make bricks while enslaved in Egypt.

This is the second year that NYAA has supported Masbia’s Charoset drive. Many of last year’s recipients were still suffering after Hurricane Sandy, NYAA’s Allen noted.

“New York’s apple growers are honored to be included in so many local families’ sacred Passover celebrations,” said NYAA President Jim Allen. “We are very thankful for the fantastic crop we harvested last fall, so we are glad to support our community this way.”

“Supporting Masbia’s Charoset drive is a natural fit for us. We don’t just work here, we live here too, and service to our community is an integral part of who we are as a company,” said New York Apple Sales Inc. President Kaari Stannard. “We heard such great things about Masbia from colleagues who helped out last year, that was all the prompting we needed.”

 “Fresh apples and nuts might sound like basic food to many of us, but for people on a tight budget these items are considered a luxury,” said Masbia Executive Director Alexander Rapaport. “With this donation to our Charoset Drive, a mother will be able to nourish her child with fresh fruit and a protein-filled snack through the eight days of Passover.”

For more information about NYAA, visit www.nyapplecountry.com. To learn about New York Apple Sales, Inc., visit www.newyorkapplesales.com. For more information about Masbia and its Charoset Drive, visit www.masbia.org/charoset.