Cortelyou At Twilight Nets Over $5,400 For Ditmas Park Schools

Thanks to neighbors like you, the Flatbush Development Corporation, Brooklyn Hearth, the NYC Department of Small Business Services, and not least of all generous Cortelyou businesses, October 10’s Cortelyou at Twilight raised over $5,400 for Garden to Café programs at local schools PS 139 and PS 217–and last week, parents and staff gathered to celebrate.

FDC’s Laura Burgess can’t thank participating Cortelyou businesses enough. “Many merchants donate individually, but showing a unified support for the community is what makes Cortelyou Merchants so special,” she says. “Cortelyou at Twilight was a perfect opportunity for them to open their doors, share their products and services and give back to the community.”

And give back they did. The Farm on Adderley, Sycamore, Flatbush Food Co-op, Grace Eye Care, Collyer’s Mansion, Bar Chord,  Brooklyn ARTery, The Castello Plan, Mimi’s Hummus, Picket Fence, T.B. Ackerson Wine & Spirits, San Remo Pizzeria, Catskill Bagels, Sacred Vibes Apothecary, Gabe’s Camera City Discount Store & Video, Latin Fever Dance Studio, Amira’s Accessories & Gift Shoppe, Brooklyn Industries, and the Cortelyou Library and firehouse got in on the action, staying open late and offering tours, food, wares, and services for a good cause.

Even Assemblymember Jim Brennan (above, with PS 139’s Principal Mary McDonald, Laura Burgess, and the school’s Staff and Parents Assocation) raffled off tickets for the event.

“My family attended Cortelyou at Twilight, and my boys delighted in sampling hummus, samosas, strange soups and chocolate on a stick!” says PS 217 Parent Association Co-President Maria Newsom-Fahey. ” These funds you’ve raised for us are ‘found money,’ and will represent a welcome infusion of cash to our growing garden program. Thank you!”

PS 139 and PS 217 each received a generous check for $2,700. All proceeds will help Garden to Café connect local students with nutritious food grown in their own schoolyards, as well as improving their agricultural literacy and helping them make better decisions about their health and diet–because as much as we might like to, you can’t always eat chocolate on a stick.

The FDC says Cortelyou at Twilight will be returning next year–so whether you had a great time on October 10 or you’re sad you missed out, you can enjoy the event, and enjoy giving back, in 2014.