Kosher Certifying Agencies Orthodox Union OU and Rabbi Friedlander KHC
Masbia is the only kosher certified soup kitchen in America that is open to the public daily. Not only are daily dinners certified by the Orthodox Union (OU), the world's largest and most widely recognized kosher certification agency, but everything we give out at our food pantry is certified by them as well. Since we receive a lot of donated food items and federal commodities which don't have a hashgacha (aka kashrut symbol) on the packaging, we found it necessary to have a blanket certification of our entire inventory of emergency food. Not only do we try to give our people the best food in the utmost dignity, we also give them a high standard of kashrut, thus the OU is our certifying agency. All hot food served in our restaurant style soup kitchen is glatt kosher, done with hashgacha temidis, uses vegetables that have been checked for bugs, and is pas yisroel.
Masbia of Boro Park also has a local certification known as KHC under Rabbi Avrohom Friedlander, of Hivnov. Rabbi Friedlander's certification is prevalent among Boro Park's institutions such as Maimonides Medical Center and the Boro Park Center. Therefore, this was the right fit for Masbia as well. The KHC certification only for the restaurant style soup kitchen. It does not include the food pantry.