A Record-Breaking Toys for Tots
Park Slope’s community spirit was in full force this holiday season, helping the Civic Council to collect a record 1,100 toys during the annual Toys for Tots gift collection drive. Thanks to all of the donors and volunteers, the holidays were brighter for many local children and families in need, who received the gifts through the CHIPS Soup Kitchen, Dwa Fanm, Project Reach Youth, YMCA, and Saint Augustine.
“The number of gifts we collected during this year’s Toys for Tots was almost twice the amount we have ever collected,” said Tom Miskel, event chair and long-time Civic Council trustee. “The generous nature of neighbors and friends in the Park Slope area is wonderful to witness.”
This 16th annual drive also marked an extraordinary amount of cooperation among businesses and organizations throughout the neighborhood. Our thanks to every storefront and institution that served as gift collection centers: Astoria Federal, Back to the Land Natural Foods, Baluchi’s Indian Food, the Church of St. Saviour, Citibank, Community Book Store, Has Beans, Kappa Sake House, Little Things Toy Store, Melt, New Millennium Real Estate, Old First Reformed Church, Orrichio Anderson Realty, Park Slope Armory/YMCA Sports Complex, Picada y Vino Wine Shop, Pink Olive, Progressive Podiatry, Prospect Park YMCA, and Scottadito Restaurant.
Much Mulch
Mulchfest in Prospect Park, sponsored by the Civic Council, was also a big success this year despite a rather cold January weekend. Civic Council volunteers, working with the Prospect Park Alliance and 1-800-Mr. Rubbish, gathered more than 2,100 trees and converted them into ground cover for our parks and gardens.
Our thanks to volunteers from Park Slope Food Coop, New York Cares, Roadify, and Greenwood Baptist Church, as well as to all the hard workers who dragged a tree to Prospect Park or to their nearest corner for collection Jan. 8-9.
from the January 2011 Civic News