Support the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side
Support the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side. Click here to Donate.
The Masbia Annex at Congregation Shearith Israel is now open, quietly becoming a lifeline for neighbors in need in the heart of the Upper West Side. In the yard of America’s oldest Jewish congregation, a new “hekdesh” style food pantry is taking shape: a designated space devoted to serving the poor and vulnerable with dignity.
This new annex is Masbia’s first Manhattan location and was launched on a tight timeline so that no one would go hungry before Chanukah 2025. Much of the equipment is still on its way, but the work could not wait. Families have already begun coming through the gate. We now need your help to keep this new site stocked, staffed, and growing.
On its first afternoon of operation, the annex served about a dozen families in person, through the Plentiful app, and sent out nearly three dozen home deliveries using Masbia’s partnership with DoorDash. Those numbers are expected to rise quickly as more people learn that there is now a kosher, dignified food pantry available on the Upper West Side.
Many of our first visitors were elderly, disabled, or living on very limited incomes. One woman arrived with her service dog and told staff she was blind. She asked for help identifying each of the nearly fifty items we were offering that day and chose only what she felt she could carry home in her knapsack. Even the three-pound bag of onions had to be opened so she could take just a few.
But when she heard there was a pack of chicken, her whole face lit up. That was the item she was most excited to bring home.
Later, staff called her using the number in her Plentiful profile and offered her a DoorDash home-delivery slot, so she would no longer have to choose between the food she needs and what she can physically carry. From now on, she will receive pantry packages directly to her door. Your support makes stories like hers possible.
Support the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side. Click here to Donate.
How your donation helps
Gifts to the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side go directly toward:
- Purchasing food to fill pantry packages with nutritious, kosher groceries
- Operating the “digital breadline” through the Plentiful app and text-message bot, so clients can reserve times with dignity and without long waits
- Expanding DoorDash home delivery for clients who are elderly, disabled, or unable to carry food home
- Outfitting and maintaining the annex space at Congregation Shearith Israel so it can function safely and efficiently in all weather
Every donation matters. Whether you can underwrite a full pantry package or contribute a smaller amount toward the cost of groceries and deliveries, your gift helps put real food into real homes on the Upper West Side.
Support the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side. Click here to Donate.
A partnership rooted in history and responsibility
Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, has served the Jewish community continuously since 1654. Hosting the Masbia Relief Annex in its “Paved Paradise” courtyard is part of its commitment to communal responsibility as America approaches its 250th anniversary.
Masbia, founded in 2005, has grown into one of the most recognized kosher hunger-relief organizations in New York City, serving hundreds of thousands of meals and distributing millions of pounds of food each year. The Upper West Side annex is the newest chapter in this work, a way to bring help closer to those who need it most in this neighborhood.
Your role
By donating to the Masbia Relief Annex, you become a partner in this mitzvah. You are helping to ensure that:
- Elderly neighbors do not have to choose between groceries and their physical limitations
- Families on and near the Upper West Side have a place to turn when they cannot make ends meet
- This new hekdesh within Congregation Shearith Israel can live up to its purpose, serving the poor and vulnerable with dignity
Please make a tax-deductible donation today in support of the Masbia Annex on the Upper West Side. Your generosity keeps the shelves full, the deliveries going out, and the doors open to every neighbor who needs help.
