Brooklyn, NY – Comptroller DiNapoli’s Visit Yields $3,600 Donation to Masbia Soup Kitchen

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    Brooklyn, NY – A Borough Park kosher soup kitchen raked in a $3,600 donation after state Controller Thomas DiNapoli visited the charity to launch a drive for $10 text message donations.

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    Retired real estate investor Curtis Katz, 83, sent Masbia a check wrapped in a Long Island Jewish World clipping showing DiNapoli texting his $10 donation.
    Executive Director Alexander Rapaport said the donation came at just the right time, as Masbia – which also operates restaurant-style kitchens in Williamsburg and Flatbush, Brooklyn, and in Rego Park, Queens – was struggling to meet expenses.

    “Our bank account didn’t even have enough money to pay the rent for all four sites,” he said.

    “I was under a lot of pressure,” Rapaport said. “It was almost like there was some angel speaking into his ears when he did it to make sure we’d be able to pay the rent.

    “A person sees another person doing something small, and they follow a few thousand percent.”

    Katz, who lives in Israel but is visiting family in Great Neck, L.I., said he was inspired to up the ante when he saw DiNapoli making his donation.
    “I’ve got a lot more than $10,” he said. “I’m fortunate I can give $3,600 and not $10.

    “I’m hoping they can feed a lot more people,” he said. “We should be able to feed everybody that needs to be fed. “It would be better if I could cook it and serve it, but that’s not possible.”

    Masbia serves kosher food to Orthodox families restaurant-style in the hope that they’ll be less ashamed to seek help.

    The charity opened its three new locations last year as Rapaport saw visitors surge with the recession.

    “We get more than 80% of our budget from private donors. That might be huge sums; it might be $10-dollar sums.”

    Since the controller’s visit, Masbia has raised a modest $50 from other texted donations, made by texting SOUP to 20222. Katz, who is originally from the Bronx and made his fortune in real estate, decided to make his donation the old-fashioned way. “I barely use a computer. I’m not smart enough,” said Katz. It’s a different generation.

    “I don’t even know how to send a text message, but the check is good so the bank will pay on it.”


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    3 Comments
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    3,600?
    3,600?
    13 years ago

    Come on guys, $3,600 aint a whole lotta money…big shpeil bout nothin

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    13 years ago

    He gave the money at a time when it really was needed!! It was well appreciated!! Thank you!!

    bigwheeel
    bigwheeel
    13 years ago

    Masbia is one of the few organizations where the money donated goes directly to provide the high class food that is served in the most courteous manner by friendly staff. Unlike most of our beloved charitable organizations where the bulk of the money donated gets whittled away on peripherals. (specifics and percentages are not necessary to elaborate on.)