Holiday gift wrapping brings cheer to Throggs Neck
She started the project by
working with a local shelter,
Crystal’s Place. From there
word spread from friend to
friend, then to family and
members of her church.
What started out as a small
effort to spread some holiday
cheer has already grown into
an awesome event, Torres said.
She said in the beginning it
was just herself, her husband
(begrudgingly), her two kids
and six other people who spent
an evening together wrapping
gifts in her own home.
NYC City Council member Mark Gjonaj stands with several attendees at the Throggs Neck community holiday
wrapping party at the Throggs Neck Community Church on Friday December 13. The community donated over
300 gifts that will be distributed December 21 to four different shelters in the Bronx.
Photo courtesy of Angela Torres
SPIRIT
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755 Rhinelander Ave.
Bronx, NY 10462
Corner of Holland
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White Plains Road
BY KYLE VUILLE
The spirit of the holidays
are alive in Throggs Neck this
year after this weekend’s community
gift wrapping drive.
A community gift wrapping
drive took place at the Throggs
Neck Community Church
on Friday, December 13 with
many from the nieghborhood
pitching in to do their part.
Community Board 10 member
Angela Torres said the
event only started last year
when the crazy idea to do a toy
drive popped into her head.
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Surprisingly, the toy drive
received enough toys to not
only supply the one shelter, but
two others as well. A shelter
in Westchester Square and another
in Hunts Point.
This year, however, was a
different story, with over 100
volunteers attending the holiday
drive at 2730 Bruckner
Boulevard.
Accent Care of NY and Alliance
Health were major toy
contributors, while local businesses
like Crosstown Diner
and Paisano Pizzeria fed the
volunteers.
Clinical director Mike
Arenella of Accent Care of NY
and Alliance Health said between
their four offi ces, around
300 gifts were collected this
year and will be distributed
among four different shelters
throughout the Bronx.
“We brought the whole community
together,” Arenella
said. “We really worked together
to make this a successful
event.”
Other affi liates involved
in the drive included School
Board District 8, P.S. 304, P.S.
382 and Westchester United
Methodist Women.
Most organizations provided
wrapping paper, tape,
and scissors to make the holiday
wrapping complete.
CB 10, School District 8, P.S.
304, P.S. 382 and Throggs Neck
Community Church are drop
off points with the toys being
distributed on Saturday, December
21.
“Everyone’s giving a little
piece. That’s so awesome,” Torres
said.
People wrap donated gifts at the Throggs Neck Community Church last
Friday December 13. Photo courtesy of Angela Torres
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