After a week of discussions, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott authorized the use of the schoolyard at PS 34 for the Pop-Up Sandy Winter Relief distribution in Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Saturday, December 1. The site offered greater security for 5,000 coats than nearby park options, and featured shelter from potentially inclement winter weather.
Thank you, Chancellor Walcott, for doing the right thing on behalf of the community most directly affected by the explosions at the power plant on East 13th Street. Below is a video recap from 20/20 Vision director Jeremy Del Rio about this unique partnership with American Red Cross, Somebody Cares America, the New York Christian Resource Center, and community and faith-based organizations in eleven communities, and a gallery of photos from the Manhattan distribution.