A back-to-school giveaway at the Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale brought hundreds of parents and kids to the community shopping center on Friday, Aug. 16, to collect free backpacks and school supplies ahead of September.
The effort to prepare kids for the new school season, which starts next month, comes as the NYPD Office of the Chief of Department Rapid Response Team makes its way throughout the city giving out backpacks, notebooks, pencils and more with community partners.
Partners involved in the school supply giveaway included Amazon, Roman Empire Logistics and Toys for Tots, combining the school preparedness event with some fun.
Police Officer Shajdon Monestine, part of the Chief of the Department Rapid Response Unit that organized the event, says every little bit helps during back-to-school season.
“We just want to bring all of these resources together to bring something amazing back to these kids,” Monestine said.
Monestine also added that bringing the giveaway to Glendale is part of a larger commitment to the community, especially for parents who are in the process of fulfilling their kids’ school supply lists.
“It’s one less thing a parent has to worry about while they’re preparing for back to school, whether kids are starting junior high school, elementary school or high school for the first time,” Monestine shared. “Even the kindergarten and pre-K students, they have a list as well. They have to bring a certain amount of things to school, and we just wanted to give that simple relief there, so that’s one last thing [parents] have to worry about.”
Founder of Roman Empire Logistics Vinny Roman also spoke on the impact of the giveaway to Queens neighbors. His role in the giveaway expanded with the involvement of the Toys for Tots organization, providing toys to participating families.
“This is a true testament of what community work is,” Roman said. “It’s communities helping communities.”
Additional businesses located within the Shops at Atlas Park also participated in the giveaway event, including Tiger Schulmann’s Martial Arts and Laser Bounce Family Fun Center.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s Office joined the backpack giveaway alongside the local businesses.
Law enforcement officials from different parts of the city, including that of the NYPD 104th and 112th Precincts, also participated in the giveaway.
Deputy Chief at Patrol Borough Queens North Raymond Porteus, overseeing the Glendale area, also visited and took the time to acknowledge the partners of this year’s backpack giveaway, who received certificates of appreciation from the NYPD.
Overall, the Shops at Atlas Park received praise from the back-to-school giveaway organizers for allowing them to utilize the mall’s outdoor space.
Peter DeLucia, the general manager of the Shops at Atlas Park, and Dawn Simons, the senior marketing manager for the center, received certificates of appreciation from the NYPD.
DeLucia says Atlas Park will continue providing community-based events to all of its guests, such as free movies, concerts and classic car shows. This year, the mall is looking to build its relationship with the NYPD with more events like the backpack giveaway.
“One of our key initiatives for this year was to build a closer relationship with the NYPD and try to engage teens in the area,” DeLucia said. Some of the issues around this zip code, Ridgewood and Glendale, are teen-related. So we wanted to try to do more events with the NYPD.”
One event at the shopping center next month with the NYPD will bring the NYPD Video Game Truck, a mobile arcade, to Atlas Park on Saturday, Sep. 14.
