No matter how big or small, a toy can bring joy to a child’s face in perilous times. Such is the motivation behind the annual toy drive in Harlem’s New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments all this week as Christmas season rounds the bend.
Johanna Pittman has lived at her apartment building in East Harlem since May 2019. Her eight kids came barreling down the stairs to get presents. Their ages range from a bundled up baby girl to a tall 14-year-old boy. They eagerly ripped into the gifts they received from team members in the hallway lobby, each one a pre-wrapped surprise. Gifts included a music speaker, a scooter, games and books.
The toy drive is organized by the PACT Renaissance Collaborative team, a group that repairs NYCHA developments in Manhattan, and the Community League of the Heights . The Community Preservation Corporation provides the wrapped gifts that get distributed to children as well as invests in public housing along with other core entities.
“I love this time of year. We deal with a lot of underprivileged, under represented tenants. A lot of tenants say they are not able to afford gifts this year and this is the only gift that their kid will get,” said Lopez. “So that feeling is what we do it for, to bring some type of holiday cheer to everyone.”
Vice President at Monadnock Development Amy Stokes, who leads the on-the-ground PRC team, confirmed that renovations for the total 1,716 units are about 85% complete. The apartment renovations should be completed by February 2023 with repairs on the interior of the buildings, like elevators and door locks, scheduled to be completed by fall of 2023.
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