Has anyone had the free kosher DOE meals?

sunflowershine

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 11:50 am

What was it like today? I heard yesterday they were out of food really fast... And crazy long lines.
Was today better? Shorter wait time? Did they have enough food for everyone???

amother

Ruby

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 12:45 pm

Ema of 4 wrote:

Here (Bayswater) the non-kosher meal was chicken or turkey sandwich. I didn’t look to see if the milk was regular or chocolate milk. Apple sauce, peanut butter, corn, and beans sounds like a much healthier lunch than bread and chumus....a chicken or turkey sandwich sounds healthier too....

Cold corn and beans that are presumably coming out of big cans and mixed together is not very appetizing so whole tomatoes are better in this case.
Apple sauce which is presumably coming out of a big can as well cant last out of the fridge for too long so if the kids want to save something for later for their snack then a whole apple is better as well since it doesnt require refrigeration.
Bread and Chumus is probably better than processed cold cuts on bread and the kids can decide to eat their bread without the chumus or their chumus without their bread as opposed to just being forced to eat a ready made sandwhich.
Anyway, I hope they will come up with more food since Jewish families typically have more kids so they were probably not prepared for it. And they should have it at more locations so people wont have to stand in line for such a long time and being exposed to who knows what. This is a great program that is open for anyone and everyone no questions asked regardless of the circumstances so people on this site (and I am not saying you particularly just others who are being judgemental) should stop with the judgement about who is or isnt taking food and why.

amother

Maroon

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 1:02 pm

sunflowershine wrote:

What was it like today? I heard yesterday they were out of food really fast... And crazy long lines.
Was today better? Shorter wait time? Did they have enough food for everyone???

I waited from about 10 after 9 until 10:35 with my young kids in the rain. We had an umbrella, my kids were wearing hats and rainboots, but by the time we were done there, we were all wet and shivering from the cold! They gave us 2 breakfast portions and 2 lunch portions for each of us. I'm not sure if the extra breakfast + lunch was meant to be dinner or for tomorrow.
My kids were really happy with the meals. It was enough food for them, and they liked the food included. For an adult, it's not so much food, but it does include all the food groups. I added some vegetables and another slice of bread to make it a fuller lunch.

amother

Aquamarine

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 1:16 pm

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

Hi, what was the food today?

amother

Firebrick

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 1:28 pm

Why can’t they give out frozen TV dinners the way they give meals to the elderly. The way airline food comes.
In my town the Jewish Federation provides for the elderly
Jewish schools dont have school lunches but you are able to go to the public school and pick out kosher options, Apple, cereal, closed ou-d packages

amother

Green

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:42 pm

amother [ Aquamarine ] wrote:

Hi, what was the food today?

In Midwood? I was also wondering.

amother

Indigo

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:46 pm

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

Because the food is intended for children who might not be able to heat the food. A hot lunch is only provided in public schools with a cafeteria and a lunch room where the kids eat in the cafeteria.

Meals for the elderly are similar to Meals On Wheels which are delivered to people's homes where it is assumed they have a microwave or other way to safely heat the food. It's a completely different type of food delivery model.

ValleyMom

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:48 pm

I understand we are actually paying for it but Im grateful they are actually following through and it is plentiful.

There are many hungry children out there.

amother

Salmon

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:53 pm

Today we got

breakfast
muffin
yogurt
apple
milk

Lunch
chummus
roll
a few tomatoes
milk
apple

We got double of each - one for tomorrow as well.

amother

Purple

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:56 pm

amother [ Denim ] wrote:

The City is facing a HUGE shortfall!!! The economy is basically stopped - so very minimal revenue (I.e. taxes), and expenses have gone way up! I think we, taxpayers will be paying for this way into the future (unless there is some Federal bailout) . . .

In Monsey the flyer states that's it's a federally funded program.

I work from. My kids have class. Every day my kids remind me to have lunch ready at their break. They dont have time to make the food and eat it. I have made bagels, pizza, pasta and grill chease while juggling work, being a hall monitor by making sure my kids are following class and have the right books open. My youngest needs help.

I signed up for the lunches. My kids will be able to "make" their own lunches now. One less stress for me.

amother

Purple

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:57 pm

Duplicate

Ema of 5

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 2:59 pm

I went to the public school near my house this morning, not one of the schools specifically providing kosher food. They had a bagel, jelly, cream cheese, chocolate milk, and a yogurt. When I got there, the lady behind the table told me they weren’t kosher, so I didn’t take any and I just went back home. A little while later, someone told me the yogurt and bagel were in fact kosher, so I went back, but they didn’t have anymore breakfast meals at all. I asked her if they had any cereal, and she gave me a bag with apple cinnamon Cheerios, a juice box, and graham crackers. I got for all my kids, and they were in heaven!!! Why can’t that be the kosher breakfast? Why does what we get have to be so unappetizing? As if it’s an afterthought, and they just put together some stuff. I understand costs and all that, but if they are ALREADY giving out bags that have KOSHER yogurt and cream cheese and cereal and juice and crackers, why not just make more? Why make a whole separate meal? I will continue going to the public school and getting kosher food even though it’s not an official kosher food pick up site, rather than going to the other place, standing on line till who knows how long, and my kids may or may not like what in there, but I won’t know till I get home cuz it’s in a paper bag.
It may sound like I’m ungrateful, but I’m really not. I am so incredibly grateful that meals are being provided for my kids. I’m just frustrated that they are not the equivalent of the not kosher meals.

amother

Papaya

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:28 pm

I teach at Shaare Torah. Haven't taken the packs till now but stopped today as I happened to pass the school. Cutest package ever- for sefardim! Challah, dips, and kibbeh!

amother

Indigo

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:29 pm

Ema of 4 wrote:

Not arguing but wondering how this would work in terms of people selectively taking what they want.

My understanding is that the kosher meals are being provided by a specific kosher vendor and people would be relying on the certification of that vendor. There might be individual boxes which are "kosher" according to some people's standards being given out in non-kosher places but how could a sandwich be certified as kosher since it is being prepared in some way I am assuming. If people wouldn't eat a bagel and cream cheese from a non-kosher restaurant, how would they feel comfortable eating it from the grab and go non-kosher places.

Again, I am trying to understand how you would deal with the logistics of people relying on the food being kosher to their standards.

Maybe what is being included by the kosher vendor will improve as time goes by since at this point it was probably set up pretty quickly so they are trying to get food out and don't have a sense of quantities etc.

You would probably be best off finding a Jewish school in your area that is providing food to any people who need it because the food seems to be better and more to your taste. Frankly the food that is being provided as non-kosher doesn't seem to be better - at least to me. It's a sandwich with probably pretty terrible meat; milk, a fruit and some serving of vegetable.

amother

Green

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:36 pm

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

Today we got

breakfast
muffin
yogurt
apple
milk

Lunch
chummus
roll
a few tomatoes
milk
apple

We got double of each - one for tomorrow as well.

same exact as yesterday so I guess it's the same every day

amother

Mint

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:36 pm

The big boxes of cereal etc is the equivalent of what my truly poverty stricken ps student gets in a packed bag to take home weekly for the weekend when he won't be provided with meals. Sounds like something that's available Friday not necessarily every day.

amother

Mint

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:37 pm

amother [ Green ] wrote:

same exact as yesterday so I guess it's the same every day

Sounds equivalent to the non kosher meals, except substitution for the lunch meat.

amother

Blonde

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:40 pm

Not everyone eats OUD. Not everyone eats OU. So the kosher meals are targeted to the strictest version of kosher so all kosher consumers can eat it.

My husband is out of work and we haven't gotten any unemployment yet. We are a struggling family at the best of times.

We are not picky eaters at all. But my kids are teenagers. These portions are really small. More for preschoolers than teens.

amother

Mint

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:52 pm

That's frustrating. But I doubt the non kosher meals have bigger portions. A sandwich is a sandwich. Maybe you can see about going Fridays to a public school and see if they have extras for the weekend, like someone above mentioned getting boxes of cereal etc.

amother

Blonde

Fri, Apr 24 2020, 3:57 pm

Thank you amother mint.

I will not go back to the PS. The frum schools in my neighborhood give much more generously. I will only go their from now on.