The Masbia Soup Kitchen is working with local volunteers and a Staten Island community organization to provide for Jewish families in need ahead of Passover.  

The collaboration is also giving asylum seekers a temporary job helping to package goods for nearby families, handling pounds of produce.  

Masbia teams up with different volunteers annually to ensure families are well-stocked for Passover. This year, it's teaming up with La Colmena, a community organization based in Staten Island, and giving a few asylum seekers a temporary job helping out.  

"Right now, they’re just more than anything grateful, and they’re just more happy knowing that the job that they're doing is going to help others in need,” said Kimberly Vega, workforce manager for the nonprofit. 

Masbia is preparing to donate the food to hundreds of families with help from DoorDash. Organizers say that the community’s united effort is in line with the story of Passover.  

"The story of Passover and the current story of asylum seekers and combine that and then all you can think of is how you can you help people for both,” said Alexander Rapaport, executive director for Masbia.  

Asylum seekers will be working all week, getting a chance to build relationships within the greater community.  

“At La Colmena, we try to emphasize the importance of being part of a community,” said Vega. “We are all here for the same reasons, so we let them know, ‘Hey, you’re going to help yourself, but at the same time you’re helping a community that’s much more in need.'” 

Over a dozen Jewish families in the Borough Park, Flatbush and Midwood areas will receive up to 25 pounds of food for the Passover holiday and will receive multiple packages throughout the week leading up to Passover.