In the brightly-lit storeroom, jugs of Kedem grape juice are lined up below the Manischewitz matzo meal. Loaves of wrapped gefilte fish sit stacked in the freezer.

Here, inside this kosher food pantry, organizers are making sure observant Jews can celebrate Passover even as their families face hard financial times.

The space in Silver Spring is designed to feel “bekovedik,” a Yiddish word that roughly translates to worthy of someone’s dignity. It’s about the size of a 7-Eleven, with aisles resembling a typical grocery store, stocked with brands a religious parent is accustomed to bringing home to feed their kids.

Those who rely on Yad Yehuda’s Capital Kosher Pantry can schedule private weekly shopping trips to load up on the essentials.

“The dignity and the privacy of our recipients is absolutely crucial,” said Stephanie Savir-Perlman, the operations director at Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington, which leaders say runs the only kosher food pantry in the region.

“The appearance of the building, the food that we carry, should meet the dignity of the individual who needs to shop here,” Savir-Perlman added. “It’s not their fault that something happened in their life, that they can’t afford food right now and they need help.”

In the county and across the nation, job losses, federal government uncertainty and rising prices have strained food pantries in recent months.

Roughly 9% percent of Montgomery County residents are Jewish, compared to about 2% of the population nationwide.

For Jews who keep kosher, meaning they adhere to a strict set of dietary rules, it can be more complex to seek help with food during a family financial crisis. Kosher products are often more expensive, in part because they must be prepared in specific ways.

And that’s even before you consider the rules of Passover, the holiday commemorating the exodus of the ancient Israelites from slavery in Egypt. For eight days, beginning Wednesday at sundown, observant Jews avoid eating food made from leavened grain, like bread or pasta, along with several other barred ingredients.

In honor of the holiday, many families host large Seders, ritual meals that often include brisket, matzo ball soup and kugel.

“Passover is such an expensive holiday,” Savir-Perlman said.

While the kosher pantry is open throughout the year, its highest level of support comes before Passover.

Organizers have to be strategic with their pool of resources, choosing this year to focus on providing poultry and meat. The nonprofit has for two decades relied on community donations.

This year, they expected to provide for about 285 households.

“The requests just keep coming,” Savir-Perlman said. “We extended ourselves very far this year because the need is so great.”