SCF IN ACTION DURING COVID-19

The SCF helps Yeshivot access new government regulations resulting in $2 to 3 million benefits to NYC Yeshivot & Families this year.

WHEN COVID-19 HIT LAST MARCH, IT CAUSED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR JOBS, CLOSE THEIR BUSINESSES, OR STRUGGLE WITH STAGGERING REDUCTIONS IN SALES REVENUE. NO PART OF THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN SPARED AND THAT INCLUDES THE NEW YORK AREA SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY.

For the first time ever, many Community families found themselves struggling with food insecurity. The Federal Government acted to make sure its food programs, including the National School Free Breakfast and Lunch programs, would be available—even though schools were shut down.
During the initial and most challenging months of March, April and May, Shaare Torah Yeshiva and other schools that had been operating a meals program, kept their kitchens open. They further expanded their distribution so that no family would be turned away.

With the onset of the 2020-21 new school year, the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF) helped the yeshivot that had not previously participated in the food distribution program, secure millions in government dollars, so that every yeshiva child would be able to get free breakfast and lunch.
When schools reopened this September, a just-issued USDA-Food and Nutrition Services program waiver went into effect, allowing any school, public or private, to serve free breakfast, lunch, and snack, to all enrolled children regardless of income. This meant that Community schools could now offer free meals to all students. All families could get help without having to be singled out as “the new poor.” The waiver is in effect through June 30, 2021.

While Shaare Torah and other schools that had been giving out food to the public last year knew about this program waiver, other schools, however, could not have realistically known about it (unless they staffed a dedicated person to track and carefully study the fast changing, weekly flow of COVID-19 government regulations and waivers). The Sephardic Community Federation retains a consultant, Mr. David Rubel, to do just that. For the past 12 years, Mr. Rubel has worked closely with Mr. Sam Sutton, President of the SCF, on connecting Community schools to a myriad of government programs, translating to tens of millions of dollars in benefits over the years.

The team of Rubel and Sutton first alerted Magen David Yeshivah Elementary School to the fact that all their students are now eligible for the new free school breakfast, lunch, and snack program. MDYES immediately jumped on the opportunity to receive approval from the New York State Education Department-Child Nutrition Office (NYSED-CN). In practical terms, this means that for this year, the cost of all meals is covered by the government.

In addition, all MDYES students also received the COVID-19 Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) cards worth $420 per child for school year 2019-2020 totaling $520,000 given directly to parents. There will also be a second P-EBT card coming later this school year, albeit smaller, due to new government rules. All told, including the second round of P-EBT, MDY and its parents will have received close to $1,500,000 in newly granted government funding.
Next, SCF rushed to alert other Community yeshivot that had never operated a Federal-State funded meals program. In addition, all students enrolled in these schools will also be eligible for the waiver to receive the free breakfast and lunch, regardless of income. Schools that are new to the government breakfast/lunch program, needed to apply to NYSED-CN for approval.

After SCF discussions with Barkai Yeshiva, Yeshivah of Flatbush Elementary School, and Yeshiva Darchei Eres (YDE), all three schools completed and submitted applications with help from the SCF. Once these schools are approved, all their students will be eligible for the 2020-21 school year as well as the Pandemic-EBT program. This should lead to significant savings for all three schools. The total benefit to schools and their parents for this school year could reach an astounding total of $3,000,000!

The SCF is always working hard for the Community. Our decades-long established role as the Community’s liaison to our elected officials and government programs has positioned us to advocate for and deliver benefits for the overall well-being of our Community.
Sam Sutton is the President of the Sephardic Community Federation. Ron Tawil is Co-Chairman.