FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 14, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 9
Acts of Kindness Send your Acts of Kindness to editorial@qns.com
Teen raises thousands to aid local homeless,
frontline workers and small businesses
BY JESSICA PARKS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
A teenager helped support
frontline workers across
Brooklyn while simultaneously
supporting small businesses
aft er launching a fundraiser that
raised thousands of dollars.
John Ciafone, a 17-year-old
student at Columbia Grammar
and Preparatory School in
Manhattan, started the money
raising eff ort in August to
support small businesses in
Brooklyn, and raised over $5,000
in just a few days, which became
$10,000 as his mother’s friend
off ered to match the amount of
money he raised.
“It was really cool to see that
people still care about others,
and they still want to give back to
the community whether through
someone or directly,” Ciafone
said. “It just really warms my
heart.”
Th e funds were used to purchase
doughnuts from Peter
Pan Donuts and Pastry Shop in
Greenpoint, which the Queens
native said he selected because
he knew the owners could use
the support as the pandemic has
forced many small businesses in
the city to close their doors.
Th e dozens and dozens of
doughnuts were then delivered
by Ciafone and his mother to
hospitals across the borough for
frontline workers to enjoy — all
while also helping a local business
in need with his large purchase.
“We donated the food to the
hospitals for the employees, doctors,
the nurses and even some of
the patients,” Ciafone said.
Aft er his summer of giving was
over, Ciafone left his GoFundMe
page up and people kept on
donating without Ciafone’s
knowledge until December
when he noticed the additional
funds and took action.
“I kept that page up and I
recently found out that I gained
another $2,000,” he said.
Th is time, he went and bought
coats and boots among other
children’s clothing and personally
delivered them to homeless
and family shelters across the
borough, giving kids the pick of
their favorite jacket.
“We went to a few diff erent
homeless and family shelters and
we donated jackets to the little
kids who didn’t have jackets,”
Ciafone said. “And it was really
amazing to see because they
were really excited.”
Ciafone said the excitement
in the children’s eyes about their
new coats is what makes all of his
eff orts worth it.
“A little girl saw a red jacket
that caught her eye, and luckily it
was her size,” Ciafone said. “And
her eyes lit up and it was really
nice to see.”
Seeing all of the loss people
were experiencing as a result of
the pandemic while he sat comfortably
on his couch is what the
high school student said inspired
him to help those less fortunate
than him.
“My whole life I haven’t had
to worry about when I am going
to eat my next meal or if I am
going to sleep in my own bed at
night,” Ciafone said. “I saw a lot
on the news about how people
were struggling, how people had
to leave their home… and that
really upset me and saddened
me and I wanted to do something
about it.”
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