Update: Reader Allison D sends in these photos of the breakfast and lunch below. They’re certainly not as substantial as I had hoped for, but then again, free is free!
The organizers tell me that:
- Everyone can request 1 breakfast and 2 lunches daily, per person that you are requesting a meal for.
- Demand in Boro Park and Flatbush was much higher than expected and orders going forward will be adjusted based on that demand.
- The lack of locations in Manhattan and the Bronx is based on prioritizing high density areas first. More locations will be added.
- More food offerings will be added to the meals in the coming days.
- Getting the program off the ground in a very short timeframe and cutting through city red tape was unprecedented.
It seems likely that many of us will be grounded longer than we have in recent memory, so I’m sure everyone is missing out on the kosher airline meals provided by Borenstein. 😉
But on a more serious note, the NYC Department of Education is providing free Borentstein catered kosher meals for those who need it, which is just incredible!
All meals served to children under 18 are eligible for federal funds, which is helping defray the cost of the program. But everyone can go, adults and kids, and pick up 3 square meals to go. Parents and guardians can pickup meals for their children. The meals are completely free of charge and are available every weekday. No ID or registration is required.
The program is still rolling out and the meals needed are being adjusted based on demand.
Safety agents are on hand to ensure that social distancing is adhered to.
You won’t get frozen lox, frozen gefilte fish, or a frozen omelette…
Borenstein is owned by El Al and is based out of JFK and they have plenty of unused capacity at low prices, so they were tapped to cater the program. They also have highly respected kosher certification.
Families (including parents/guardians picking up meals for their kids) and kids can pickup meals from 7:30am-11:30am from Monday through Friday and adults can pickup meals from 11:30am-1:30pm from Monday through Friday.
Currently the kosher meals are available in:
Williamsburg
- PS 132 The Conselyea School – 320 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn 11211
- PS 257 John F Hylan – 60 Cook Street, Brooklyn 11206
Far Rockaway
- P.S. 197 The Ocean School – 825 Hicksville Road, Queens 11691
- P.S. 253 – 1307 Central Avenue, Queens 11691
Kew Gardens Hills
- P.S. 154 Queens – 75-02 162 Street, Queens 11366
- P.S. 164 – 138-01 77 Avenue, Flushing, NY 11367
Crown Heights
- P.S. 289 George V. Brower – 900 St Marks Avenue, Brooklyn 11213
- I.S. 2 – 655 Parkside Avenue, Brooklyn 11226
Boro Park
- P.S. 192 – The Magnet School For Math And Science – 4715 18 Avenue, Brooklyn 11204
Midwood
- P.S. 197 – The Kings Highway Academy – 1599 East 22 Street, Brooklyn 11210
Starting on Monday you’ll also be able to get meals kosher meals at:
Boro Park
- P.S. 160 – 5105 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn 11219
Staten Island
- P.S. 54 – 1060 Willowbrook Rd, Staten Island 10314
Additional locations may be added based on feedback and how the program rollout goes.
If you go, be sure to write a trip report in the comments!
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88 Comments On "Missing Borenstein Kosher Airline Meals? NYC Is Providing Free Borenstein Catered Kosher Meals To Anyone In Need!"
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Do you have pictures of the current meals being provided?
Not yet, hopefully readers will provide.
Yesterday’s meals were the same as in the pics above
Just hope you dont get leftover Pesach meals K’minhagam The line at the PS in BP this morning was around the block.
LOL
A classic sefira meal:
https://i.dansdeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/13221405/1DA71420-6ECC-4A21-8DA1-97647E43BC17.jpeg
I just passed by there again and there is no line anymore and no food. Borenstein was asked to provide 30,000 meals after a 3000 meal trial run. They said they couldn’t ramp-up capacity that quickly as far as I heard because they are short of staff.
Anyone have updates from other locations?
Does it come with a food trolley/cart? I’d take one of those..
Ha!
Photos of the meals provided by NYC http://www.ivelt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2160496#p2160496
Thanks!
Looks like breakfast and lunch.
Any picture of dinner and what’s inside the bag?
That is what was in the bag. No dinner was given at the Midwood location.
Should be 3 meals/day according to the website. Are they just giving 2?
Yes. At midwood location they were only giving out 2 meals. All gone by 9 am.
In Crown Heights they are giving 2 lunches per person instead of dinner
so as in Williamsburg/bp
The Bronx and Manhattan have been ignored. There are multiple sites in Brooklyn and ZERO in the Bronx and Manhattan.
I think that there should be at least one site in each borough before some boroughs get multiple sites. Especially, because kosher food is more easily accessible in Brooklyn and Queens.
Unacceptable!
The program is geared for school children and federal funding is based income. So my guess is there are no Jewish schools in the Bronx with at least half the students low income
I hope you’re joking. As someone who lives in Manhattan I totally understand why there aren’t any here yet. You know where it’s hard to get kosher food? In Somalia. Maybe they should open a distribution center there then!
Ive also been looking for kosher meals in Solamia. Anyone have a suggestion?
Agreed, I have been reaching out to the local politicians in Manhattan. Nothing as of yet.
Anyone know if they have a similar program in Passaic or Monsey?
some frum schools distribute free meals
Do you have a link to the info? It’s only for people with kids that go that school?
Do they have SKMLs?
FYI, they ran out of Kosher meals at around 8:50. Said they would make sure they have enough tomorrow.
At which location?
And that’s before the #DDEffect kicked in 😉
P.S. 197 – The Kings Highway Academy – 1599 East 22 Street, Brooklyn 11210 Run out of meals at 8:45
Looks like the milk and yogurt is glatt
Chassidishe Shechita
its even baked after passover, see the picture
Based on pic not worth it
Apple and roll?
Wait a few hours w hi risk ppl?
Risk greater than value imho
So a family of 7 would get max 3 if anything left ?
How can you tell what’s in the bag?
@Dan Based on the comments here, and the reply to your question of “What’s in the bag?”, the photos provided by @Rsnwsr above are actually the content of the bag unpacked.
Well that’s disappointing.
Where you expecting any better
Not expecting a Reeserve Cut steak dinner, but give a little more than what I could choose from a continental breakfast at a Comfort Inn
Any idea when a.monsey location will b providing? Lots of need here
Monsey is not part of NYC
why not isn’t it one of the boroughs together with Monroe and
Will they only give for the amount of people in the car or how many people I say are in my family? Basically, will they refuse to give for my wife and kids if I drive up with only myself in the car?
They will give for how many kids you say you have.
It’s not just for kids. A friend dropped off packages for me and my wife. I haven’t spoken to her, but I’m guessing she got for a bunch of other people too. I’m guessing they’re relying on the honor system. I don’t think it’s like mon which turned wormy if you tried to hoard it.
Staten Island meal distribution is starting on Monday April 27
That’s what the post says.
Midwood and BP out of food already at 8:50am..
Try to luck again tom!
Was supposed to run till 11:30am Lol.
Hopefully they’ll be better equipped for tom.
Far Rockaway location was good. Same as the pictures no dinner only breakfast and lunch.
Ya, my wife thought she saw you on line
Lol
No dinner package, they just tell you to take nore lunch packs.
Where’s the world going?
A “demand” for Borenstein meals?
Unfortunately some people actually need the food as they’ve lost their jobs and cannot afford to buy food without just putting everything on their credit card and going into debt.
Btw A lot of Jewish schools that are on the lunch program are providing free meals to their students ( Or anyone else that asks) which is the same as they usually eat in school
if you look on city website, the 3 meals consist of 1 breakfast and 2 lunchbags to total 3 meals (2nd lunchbag considered the dinner meal)
Does Monsey and or Passaic have a kosher program?
Dan at 9:06 someone posted pic of what’s inside box
Apple
Small humus
Dry roll
Is waiting inside cars or foot traffic ?
Williamsburg location Manhattan Avenue has no lines. They haven’t run out of anything.
The breakfast is decent, a yogurt, very healthy muffin, milk and an apple.
Lunch is pretty measly, a tiny roll, a cup of chummus, milk and an apple, and some grape tomatoes.
Supposedly there will be a tuna and egg salad sandwiches alternating.
Its still good if you are home with a bunch of kids, and need food on a constant basis.
Far Rockaway we just picked up the same food as in the previous pictures it ain’t Bornstein and they’re never going to provide what you got in business class- LOL
BTW, Just bought on Walmart.com
Charmin Ultra Strong Toilet Paper 18 Mega Roll, 286 sheets per roll
Qty 2
quantity 2
$35.76
Why are they relying on 1 caterer. There are plenty of kosher providers that can prepare meals. 3000 meals is nothing for the kosher community
They gave discusting food
does 18th Avenue one have any left?
does 18th Avenue have any left?
Went there at 9:40 this morning. They were sold out at 9. No kosher food. No non kosher food.
E 22nd at location in Brooklyn.
Breakfast: milk, apple, muffin, yogurt
Lunch: milk, apple, roll, hummus, tomatoes
No dinner as this is through the NYC school lunch program
Williamsburg locations are out of the neighborhood, while there are PS in the neighborhood.
I guess government can’t get anything right.
A.Many Jewish schools were already providing (at least in crown heights) also through govt funding.
B. At least in ch the schools are on the outskirts of the community or outside of it
C . Seems this was more about getting business for borenstein……would have been more efficient to locate in the communities or use existing capacity. Especially as kosher meals are already prepared and packaged offsite, wrapped etc
Dan, I know you were unaware that these are basically just snacks- not even sandwiches, so I would kindly request you remove the pictures of the airline meals as the NYC “meals” are not even “meals”. And no dinner. At this point, I think people would’ve been happy to get not-so-great borenstein meals, but even that isn’t happening. It’s not your fault, but what they are distributing may not be worth the effort for some to go and get.
I’ve updated the post with reader pictures, thanks.
It looks like these are the same meals the NYC school system already serves to is students that require Kosher food in public school. The contract was probably already in place, just expanded upon. The tuna or egg salad will come in the same container as the tomatoes in the picture provided. Each person can take 1 “breakfast” and 2 “lunches” per day. One family member can pick up for the entire family. Bring a shopping bag, if you have a large family.
Why do they need a caterer if its all packaged products that can be purchased directly from Golden Flow, Normans, Tuv Taam etc?
“Free is free” I agree. But I wonder in what universe these food items would properly cover the guidelines of the USDA daily recommendation for nutritional balance and caloric intake (as their site parades).
I think that’s just the point. They’re providing the “USDA daily recommendation for nutritional balance and caloric intake” rather than food that someone wants to eat :/
Perhaps I phrased it in a confusion way. What I meant to say is that the foods they are providing look like they are NOT according to the guidelines of the USDA recommendations. It’s far too little with fruits, vegetables, fiber, protein, etc… Simply said, it’s not much food to eat
Dan i went yesterday for it waited 1 hour in the line for this absolutely waist of a time
I have never posted to Dan’s Forums but now feel I must. To the people who posted negative comments, please have hakaras Hatov. Nobody owes us anything and it is more that generous that they are funding what they are. After growing up out of town I was grateful for having kosher bread and meat to buy when I moved to NYC for school, Kal Vechomer NYC DOE giving out small snacks/meals and triple that hakaras Hatov for it being extra mehadrin kosher. Dan can vouch for no bread or meat as true by asking his father who grew up there too. Whether it is worth it for you to pick up is up to you, but it is ungracious, a big lack of middos tovos and a tremendous Chillul Hashem to post anything other than appreciation on a public forum or to even discuss amongst ourselves anything other than positive about our medina shel chesed and especially NYC who is accommodating our religious needs mehadrin min hamehadrin.
We’re paying city taxes. We’re at least as entitled to what they’re offering to other New Yorkers.
Agreed, +1
I agree with RME. As an out of towner (who doesn’t get freebies -I pay taxes to the Federal State, County and township where I leave in NJ), I feel these people who don’t like the food or who wait on line for hours for the freebie shouldn’t complain. For those of you who “pay city taxes” that is what you’re supposed to do, like so do many other people in NY. Get over yourselves and buy your own food if you don’t like the handout!
not sure why Im spending time on this, but thank you to NYC for providing this service. I know many people including family members who are benefiting from this. They are also “tax-payers” (and got back from the very generous government much more than they “paid” in taxes.) So to the person who expects more “than he would get (as a paying customer) at a comfort inn continental breakfast”, I kindly ask why you would have this expectation. To all those complaining, I hope you have enough food to eat and are healthy. Please allow those who actually need the food, to continue benefiting from the generosity of the government without insulting either the government or the gifts that they are offering. Thanks Dan for this site. Be well, all!
https://twitter.com/SEichenstein/status/1253365012963504129
waited 40 minutes in the hail this morning for food that wouldn’t even fill my almost 2 year old. got on line just after 7:35.
Wow. Agudah lobbied to get kosher meals. These are snacks and not meals. I hope Agudah will lobby again for real kosher meals.
Dan slight addendum . Its Kew gardens hills with an s at the end. But thanks for the updates. Amazing
Can believe they went so quick without @Dan saying “HOT!!!” or “Price mistake?”
I know the meals/snacks are given with no questions asked but they are intended for people in need. A lot of these posts sound like they are just grabbing free stuff and then complaining about quality and availability. That misses the point.
The lack of Hakarat Hatov being expressed here is mortifying. The state is NOT required to provide anything in this regard. And, even if it were, the correct response would still be Hakarat Hatov. I am embarrassed.
It is important for many families that are out of jobs. But your kids need to like chumus, or not be allergic to it, otherwise they have nothing substantial to eat. I suggest either a choice of meals or a different meal every day. You win some and lose some.