PPTC and Hurricane Sandy relief

Each day since Sandy tore through our area, thousands of Brooklynites have rolled up their sleeves to help with recovery. PPTC has been right there beside its neighbors. Although many of us have been pitching in on an individual basis, there have been several occasions when a “sea of red” came together:

• We've been well represented at the two Park Slope shelters: John Jay High School and the Armory. John Jay has returned to normal, but the Armory - a good friend of PPTC, as those who have done Coach Tony's speed class know - is still serving over 250 evacuees and would love your help (15th Street between 7th and 8th).
• The 2012 Walk/Run for Prospect Park was held on November 3. With a large proportion of the nearly 2,000 participants registering on race day, lines were long, but spirits were high. PPTC was a sponsor, and dozens of members volunteered at the registration table and around the course. The Prospect Park Alliance raised $60,000, all of which will go to recovery!
• PPTC was busy on Marathon Day. About a half-dozen of us ran in South Brooklyn Running Club’s fundraising run for the Red Hook Initiative (proceeds from which provided 150 space heaters), while others ran to Staten Island, Coney Island, and the Rockaways with NYC MORE and the Fireworks Group Run team.
• You could see plenty of red in the Rockaways this past weekend, too, through NYC MORE, Congregation Beth Elohim, RockawayHelp, and Rockaway Rescue Alliance. Susie Teal provides a recap of the Sunday nine PPTCers spent in Long Beach:

We boarded a bus at Jackrabbit in Park Slope this morning and rode out to Long Beach, where there was a lot of flooding and a good portion of the community is still without power and hot water. We went spent the day going door to door and helping residents move waterlogged furniture and clear out belongings that were damaged in the flood.

Here's what happens when some fast PPTC legs clean out a basement (credit: Stacey Choi):

• PPTC filled Mary Audia’s SUV with clothing, food, cleaning supplies, and toys, which she brought to Midland Beach. She had to go solo, though, as there was no room for a passenger! And Jen Bolstad’s great work in the Rockaways was featured on Gothamist. She's also helping out with Power Rockaways Resilience, which is raising money to buy solar panels.

Keep up the great work, everyone. Look for more volunteer opportunities on the message board, and on the individual sites linked to here.