Greenpoint Star Newspaper

This holiday season, take time to give back to those less fortunate in our community.

To that end, the Grand Street BID is hosting the second annual” Grand Street Gives Back” holiday food drive this month.

Until December 31, 17 small businesses on Grand Street are collecting unexpired, un-dented and non-perishable food items at their stores.

The list of participating businesses can be seen below.

All of the food will be donated to St. John The Evangelist Church’s food pantry programs. St. John’s provides hot meals and groceries to over 150 families a week in the area.

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

G train riders at Greenpoint Av got some great news and some bad news.

The MTA announced last week that the station will install three new elevators and other accessibility features in the coming weeks.

That will be a boon to everyone who uses a wheelchairs, parents with strollers or anyone carrying anything heavy.

But the construction will come with some closures and one-way direction changes, which may cause some headaches along the way.

From 9:45 p.m. on Friday, November 30 to 5 a.m. on Monday, December 31, only northbound G trains will stop at Greenpoint Av.

The station will also be closed in both directions on weeknights between 9:45 p.m. and 5 a.m., and on weekends at all hours from December 3 to December 24.

For alternatives, check out the MTA’s service changes here:

November 30 – December 3

•  operates between Nassau Av and Church Av
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Nassau Av

December 3-7

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 7-10

•  operates between Nassau Av and Church Av
• Free shuttle buses operate between Nassau Av and Court Sq

December 10-14

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 14-17

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 17-21

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between 21 St-Queensbridge and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

December 21-24

•  operates between Church Av and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs

January 4-7

•  operates between Court Sq and Bedford-Nostrand Avs
• Free shuttle buses operate between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Jay St

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, after a weekend of spending on commercial goods, take some time (and dollars) to support your favorite nonprofit organization.

On this #GivingTuesday, we encourage you to support Town Square Inc., a North Brooklyn group that works to improve the quality of life for the community.

You may know the organization from fun and informative events like the Go Green! Brooklyn Festival, Schoolfest, Spring egg hunts and Halloween parades.

They also help out the chess program at IS 318 and support Boy Scouts Pack 7 and Troop 26.

A donation goes a long way to help Town Square continue their wonderful work in the community. Please consider donating on this day of giving!

Support Town Square by donating here.

The Brooklyn Contemporary Chorus and Aaron Williams, Artistic Director presents “Handel’s Messiah” on Saturday, December 1st at 5:30pm.

Handel’s Messiah Part 1 will be performed in it’s entirety along with excerpts from Parts II and III.  A live orchestra will back up the Chorus.  The performance will be held at the Historic Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, Lafayette Avenue and South Oxford Street in Fort Greene.

Admission is free – but a $25 donation would be appreciated.

For tickets and information, please go to our website www.brooklyncomtemporarychorus.org or call 718-625-0305.

 

Come get your fried turkey tomorrow in Brooklyn.

On Wednesday, Churches United for Fair Housing is hosting its annual cajun frying of turkeys to be given to local families that can’t cook a hot meal.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m., volunteers will cook and hand deliver about 100 deep fried turkeys to families living without a stove.

Another 300 frozen turkeys will be distributed to local soup kitchens and food pantries.

This is the fifth year that the Turkey Fried Mission has taken place in north Brooklyn.

The event will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. at 66 Whipple Street.

St. Nicks Alliance is celebrating four decades of strengthening north Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m., the nonprofit organization is hosting its 2018 Annual Awards Benefit and 43rd Anniversary Celebration at 64 Dobbin Street.

The north Brooklyn group will share its accomplishments over the past year and more.

For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit their site here.

Santa Claus is coming to brunch!

Town Square Inc. is hosting its annual Santa Brunch event on Sunday, December 2nd at Greenpoint Beer & Ale, located at 7 North 15th Street.

There will be seatings for three times: 9:30 a.m. for the early risers, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Tickets cost just $15 online and includes a French toast brunch meal, crafts, live music and, of course, pictures with Santa!

Bring your camera and your whole family for this fun event.

Get your tickets online here.

Sunday is the New York City Marathon, and that will mean street closures throughout the race course.

The following streets/intersections in north Brooklyn will be closed from car traffic at different times:

• Bedford Avenue between Wallabout Street and Lynch Street: from 7:35 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.
• Bedford Avenue and South 3rd Street: 7:35 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
• Manhattan Avenue past Bedford Avenue: 7:45 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
• Manhattan Avenue before Greenpoint Avenue: 7:45 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.
• McGuiness Boulevard approaching the Pulaski Bridge: 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

If you’re in the area, check out the marathon. It doesn’t hurt to give them some words of encouragement!

The L train shutdown will officially begin on Saturday, April 27, MTA officials say.

The Canarsie tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan will be shut down for 15 months for reconstruction. There will be no L line service between 8th Avenue in Manhattan to Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg.

L trains WILL run between Bedford Avenue and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway.

The MTA and DOT have planned the following as alternative options for riders: five additional bus routes, a new M14 Select Bus Service on 14th Street, and ferry service, all set to begin on Sunday, April 21.

Subway lines like the G, J and Z will make an additional 1,000 roundtrips, the MTA says, beginning April 28.

For more information on the L train reconstruction project, visit the MTA’s site here.

This week, you’ll have a chance to give your input for a few local parks in North Brooklyn.

Tonight, NYC Parks is hosting a visioning session for William Sheridan Playground in Williamsburg.

That meeting will be at PS 84 (250 Berry Street) at 6:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Community Board 1’s Parks and Waterfront Committees will present the designs for both Box Street Park and Bushwick Inlet Park.

Again, residents can chime in with their thoughts at that meeting. It’ll be at the park house at Bushwick Inlet Park (86 Kent Avenue) at 6:30 p.m.

Stay involved and updated on the latest meetings for North Brooklyn’s open green spaces!