Flickinger Glassworks Newsletter
Our brief monthly newsletter about Red Hook, Brooklyn...
and other people, places & things we think you should know about.

Welcome to the April edition.

Everyone is living with the challenges of the coronavirus and way too much isolation. But some community groups are still finding ways to give back. We'd like to shed a light on a few of them.
Chinese Food Distributor in Borough Park
Located in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New Tong Shen Trading typically operates as a wholesale food distributor for Chinese restaurants. After the coronavirus shut down many of the small grocery stores and fish markets in this predominately Chinese neighborhood, New Tong repurposed itself as a community market. Many of the older Chinese people have trouble speaking English. So having a food resource nearby that involves people who speak their native tongue is extremely helpful.
Free Food Distribution in Red Hook
Video: Free food being distributed out of the Red Hook Art Project
The Red Hook Art Project (RHAP) is a non-profit organization that provides free art & music classes, homework help, and stress management instruction to youth who live or attend school in Red Hook.

When the pandemic hit, RHAP moved its offerings online and began operating as an intermediary for relief initiatives, such as accepting food donations to distribute to people in need.

To learn more about RHAP, visit their website here.

If you'd like to donate to their program, click here.
Pictured: RHAP director, Tiffiney Davis, left; An individual picking up food from the RHAP storefront, right
Free Masks in Park Slope
A day in the quarantine life of our shop manager, Joe Bailey:

In accordance with the stay-at-home orders currently in place, I don't spend much time outside my apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. New York City has been hit pretty hard during this pandemic. But we New Yorkers are adapting well and making the necessary adjustments to our daily routines to increase our personal safety and the safety of others.

A few times a day, though, my fiancée and I take our dog for a walk. These strolls have allowed me to explore and rediscover the neighborhood I have lived in my entire life. On one walk, we passed by a local dry cleaners that has been sewing face masks for free for anyone who brings in their fabric.

Art Cleaners has been in business since the early 90s and is located a few blocks from my former elementary school. I stopped in, introduced myself and had a nice conversation with the owner, Mark. I asked him what motivated him to start making masks for free and he said "We're a community, I want to help people."

Speaking of community, one of the rituals that communities around the world have adopted is the daily cheer for healthcare workers and first-responders. Here in New York City this occurs every day at 7 PM EST, rain or shine. It is a raucous and vibrant "Thank you!" to those who are putting their lives on the line each day to help and care for those in need. It is also an incredibly moving, bonding experience and reinforces the sentiment that we are all in this together and will one day get through the worst of it.

I hope this video from my roof evokes a similar feeling in those who watch it and I encourage you to join in tonight. Even if you live far away or can't make it up to a rooftop, we can all be connected and together again in spirit.

PS- I've got a neighbor who gets pretty into the cheering so you may want to make sure your speakers aren't turned all the way up... Enjoy!
Flickinger Glassworks is in awe of these people and organizations that are innovating to serve the greater good at this time. If you know of an entity that is giving back and/or surviving in a creative way, please share on our latest Facebook and Instagram posts.