A handful of students from IS 228, David A. Boody Junior High School, worked alongside teacher and parent volunteers to help organize five vans full of supplies donated by big-hearted Brooklynites for Coney Islanders in need following the ravages of Hurricane Sandy — and they did it on a Saturday!
“We had a tremendous turnout of support by all people in the community,” said Dominick D’Angelo, principal of the Gravesend school. “It was very powerful to see.”
Boody, on Avenue S, is one of the schools that has become a temporary, scholastic refuge for students displaced from PS 288, which sustained substantial damage from Hurricane Sandy and will not be holding classes for at least a month while it undergoes renovations and repairs.
The influx of around 300 new students, many of whom have lost their homes, drove the school’s Parent Teacher Association and Student Government to organize the clothing and food drive.
“We have a very active and supportive PTA that wanted to make a difference,” said De’Angelo. “Sandy really affected the lives of so many people across the area. It hit everyone.”
So much was received in the way of contributions that it took volunteers five hours to organize all the jackets, blankets, toiletries, and food donated.
However, everything was packed into vans and shipped off to the Coney Island Mission by 1 pm, where it was distributed among victims grateful for the comfort.
“We’re very fortunate our building wasn’t touched at all,” said De’Angelo. “The least we could do was help out those people who weren’t so lucky.”
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
