April 2024 Impact Report:
MSS Represents at Brooklyn's State of the Borough Address
On April 16, 2026, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso delivered his annual State of the Borough address at the Brooklyn Museum to a crowd of over 1,000 residents. The speech covered the borough’s milestones, celebrated Brooklyn’s diversity, and laid out new initiatives across housing, public safety, economic development, and community services.
MUNA Social Services was represented at the event by Br. Ahmad Abu Ubayda, National Assistant Executive Director of MUNA. Before the address began, Br. Ahmad was invited to open the ceremony with a recitation of the Holy Qur’an, a meaningful moment of recognition for the Muslim community and a reflection of the diversity Borough President Reynoso has consistently worked to honor in Brooklyn’s civic life.
His presence at the event was not just ceremonial. It speaks to where MSS stands in the broader Brooklyn community. After years of food distribution, youth programming, senior services, and direct community support across East New York and beyond, MSS has earned a seat at the table in conversations about the borough’s future.
As Borough President Reynoso outlined his vision for Brooklyn in the year ahead, MSS remains focused on doing its part at the ground level, making sure the families and neighborhoods that need the most support are not left behind.
Aim High Academy: The Families Are Paying Attention!
April was a full month at Aim High Academy. Across the After School Program and SHSAT prep sessions, the program logged over 760 student check-ins from more than 270 students, primarily out of the East New York location with additional sessions running in Jackson Heights.
Students from 1st through 11th grade attended consistently throughout the month, with several sessions clearing 50 students in a single day. The strongest weeks saw near-daily turnout, a sign of how embedded the program has become in the routines of families across the neighborhood.
On April 22, Aim High held a parent and guardian conference that brought 35 families to the table. The Director of Education led the session, opening the floor for guardians to share feedback and propose ways to strengthen the program. Staff and mentors walked families through practical ways to support learning at home, from study habits to reading routines. It was a real exchange, and both sides left with something useful.
With the school year winding down, Aim High heads into the final stretch with strong numbers, an active parent community, and students who keep coming back.
MSS Takes the Hunger Question to City Council Leadership
On April 25, 2026, Dr. Jahangir Kabir, Director of Operations and Communication at MUNA Social Services, attended a leadership event at the Food Bazar Theater in Brooklyn hosted by NYC Council Deputy Leader Chris Banks, welcoming City Council Speaker Julie Menin to the 42nd Council District.
With over one million New Yorkers currently facing food insecurity, Dr. Kabir took the opportunity to put the question directly to Speaker Menin: What is the City Council doing to reduce hunger across the city?
Speaker Menin acknowledged the severity of the crisis and confirmed that the Council is actively working to address it, naming Council Member Darlene Mealy as the lead on the City Council’s fight against hunger in New York City.
For MSS, the exchange was not just a conversation. It was a reminder of why advocacy belongs alongside direct service. NEFAP distributes hundreds of thousands of pounds of food every month, but lasting change requires policy, resources, and leadership at every level of government. Dr. Kabir’s presence at events like this ensures that the communities MSS serves have a voice in those rooms.
MSS will continue to engage with elected officials and city leadership as it pushes for stronger, more coordinated action on food insecurity across New York.
MSS Gifts Computer to MUNA National in a Show of Solidarity
In April 2026, MUNA Social Services made a formal visit to MUNA National to present a computer as a gesture of solidarity and ongoing support for the national organization’s work across the country.
Executive Director Safayet Safa and Deputy Executive Director Mohammed Sujon represented MSS at the visit, personally delivering the gift to MUNA National President Imam Dalouer Hossain. The meeting was an opportunity not just to present the computer, but to reconnect, share updates on MSS’s growing programs, and reaffirm the bond between the two organizations.
“This is a small contribution, but it comes from a place of genuine care for what MUNA National is building,” said Safayet Safa, Executive Director of MSS. “We are one organization with one mission. Whatever we can do to support the national effort, we will.”
Imam Dalouer Hossain received the gift warmly, acknowledging the spirit behind it.
“MSS has always led by example,” said Imam Dalouer Hossain, President of MUNA National. “This kind of support, showing up and giving what you can, is exactly what holds this organization together across every state and every chapter.”
MSS and MUNA National operate as part of the same broader mission, one working on the ground in New York across food distribution, education, and social services, and the other coordinating the organization’s presence and efforts nationwide. The April visit was a reminder that the connection between the two runs deeper than paperwork.
Mayor Mamdani visits the Eid al-Fitr Congregation at Baitul Mamur
On March 30, 2026, Eid al-Fitr morning, Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a visit to Baitul Mamur Masjid in East New York, stopping by at the start of the day to greet thousands of congregants gathered for one of the most significant days in the Islamic calendar and delivering brief remarks to the community.
MSS leadership worked deliberately to bring the Mayor directly to the community, coordinating the outreach and logistics that made it possible. Securing a mayoral visit on Eid morning, when thousands of families are gathered and the masjid is at its fullest, was a significant effort and a clear demonstration of the relationships MSS has built with city leadership over the years.
Mayor Mamdani’s presence at Baitul Mamur carried weight. For the thousands of congregants who gathered that morning, seeing the Mayor of New York City walk through their masjid on Eid day was a moment of genuine recognition. Not a photo opportunity. A visit to a community that earned it.
East New York’s Muslim community is not an afterthought. MSS will keep making sure city leadership knows that, and shows up accordingly.
BP Reynoso and Deputy BP Council visits MSS
On March 2, 2026, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Deputy Borough President Kim Council visited MUNA Social Services at its warehouse in Ozone Park for a firsthand look at how MSS runs its food operations.
The visit was not a formality. Borough President Reynoso and Deputy BP Council walked through the warehouse, seeing up close how MSS receives, sorts, stores, and distributes food across its 34 pantry sites. The scale of the operation, hundreds of thousands of pounds of food moving through a single facility every month, makes an impression when you see it in person.
For MSS, visits like this matter. The work speaks for itself, but having Brooklyn’s top leadership walk through the warehouse, ask questions, and leave with a clearer picture of what MSS does for tens of thousands of New Yorkers every month is exactly the kind of relationship that moves things forward.
MSS continues to build its presence with city and borough leadership, making sure the programs serving East New York and surrounding communities stay visible, supported, and on the radar of the people making decisions for Brooklyn.
Immigration, SNAP, Housing. CHC Handles It All
In April 2026, MUNA Social Services’ Community Help Center assisted 280 clients across its four branches in East New York, Parkchester, Jackson Heights, and Kensington. Immigration paperwork, SNAP applications, housing assistance, job placement, and more. Staff worked one-on-one with every person who came through the door.
The top needs this month were immigration assistance (73 cases), Bangladesh Consulate support (61 cases), and SNAP benefit applications and renewals (60 cases). Rounding out the list: job and unemployment assistance, U.S. passport applications, health insurance enrollment, and housing support.
East New York handled the highest volume with 119 clients. Parkchester saw 65, Jackson Heights 42, and Kensington 30.
For a lot of the people CHC serves, the process itself is the barrier. Forms in a language they are still learning. Deadlines buried in government websites. Documents they did not know they needed.
“I had no idea how to apply for SNAP or what I even qualified for,” said Amina K., a client from East New York. “The staff went through everything with me, helped me get my documents together, and my benefits came through two weeks later. I could not have done it alone.”
“We sit with people, we make the calls with them, and we make sure they leave knowing what comes next,” said Mohammed Rahman, Director of the Community Help Center at MSS. “That is what this program is built to do.”
With demand growing steadily across all four sites, CHC continues to expand its reach heading into summer.
The Seniors Are Here
In April 2026, MUNA Social Services’ Senior Connection program held four gatherings across its East New York and Kensington locations, welcoming 125 seniors over the course of the month.
East New York hosted 71 attendees across its sessions, while Kensington brought in 58. The two strongest days, April 19 and April 20, each drew 35 seniors. For a program built around consistency and community, numbers like that speak for themselves.
Each session gave seniors a space to sit down, reconnect with familiar faces, share a meal, and access resources. For many, it is one of the few reliable social spaces available to them each week.
“I look forward to these evenings,” said Fazlul Karim, a Kensington regular. “You see the same people, you talk, you laugh. It does not feel like a program. It feels like community.”
Senior Connection continues to grow at both sites, with steady attendance month over month. MSS remains focused on expanding the program’s reach and adding more sessions to meet the demand heading into summer.
27,500+ Fed in April: NEFAP
In April 2026, MUNA Social Services’ Nourish Emergency Food Assistance Program (NEFAP) distributed over 450,000 pounds of food to 27,500 individuals across pantry sites in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
Each distribution included rice, lentils, canned goods, halal meats, and fresh produce, selected to reflect what families in these communities actually eat. From masjids in Brooklyn to partner sites in Wilmington, volunteers and staff made sure every household received their food with respect and without hassle.
One client, Fatima S., a mother of three from East New York, shared:
“April was a tough month for us. The pantry made a real difference. The food is always what we actually use at home, and that matters.”
That kind of consistency takes serious coordination. Warehouse teams, local partners, and volunteers across dozens of sites work together each month to keep the operation running smoothly.
“450,000 pounds doesn’t happen by accident,” said Abul Kashem, Director of Warehouse Operations at MSS. “Every pound moved is people working hard behind the scenes. We’re grateful for the team that makes it possible.”
NEFAP continues to expand its reach heading into the summer months, with a focus on bringing steady, reliable food access to more neighborhoods across the region.