Via the EVG inbox…
The Neighborhood School (aka TNS, aka PS 363) is a diverse public school on East 3rd Street in the East Village. Over 45 percent of the students live below the poverty line. In 2011, the school’s art funding was cut drastically, which quite frankly blows. Thankfully, celebrity chef and Food Network star Chris Santos has stepped in to help — again. In 2012, he hosted a fundraiser at his restaurant Beauty & Essex; on Wednesday, he’ll be hosting one at Stanton Social (99 Stanton between Orchard & Ludlow), from 5 pm to 1 am.
Santos will donate $10 to the school for every person who reserves in advance (5pm-1am) and mentions TNS. He’ll also donate $5 for every non-TNS cover that night, PLUS he’ll match whatever the total is. The money will go toward supporting the school’s wonderful art program.
In the past, the school raised half the money for the art program itself; Title I funding and Studio in a School provided the other half. But the removal of federal assistance paired with NYS’s drastic budget cuts mean that TNS has to raise the full amount in the future. That’s why the school community is touched and honored by Santos’s commitment.
There are often tensions between diverse public schools and snazzy new neighborhood businesses; Santos is mindful of the potential divide. And TNS is grateful for his outreach. We hope everyone who values public education and tasty pre-Valentine’s-Day noshes (because going out on Valentine’s Day itself is for amateurs – it is the Whitman’s Sampler of urban dining experiences) will come on out and support the school.
To support the school: Call Chef’s Assistant Erica at 212.995.0099 or email her for dinner reservations on 2/12/14 – be sure to mention TNS when you book!
5 comments:
Thanks, Grieve!
I would not mind supporting the Neighborhood School, but Stan Soc' isn't much of a neighborhood restaurant. Having your benefit at a place like this is going to leave your school to the devices of the tourists... and a guilt ridden proprietor. Too bad.
The Neighborhood School is one of our most valuable EV institutions and they are worth every bit of support we can give them. I'm not crazy about Stanton Socila but I'm delighted that they are contributing a little bit to The Neighborhood School . . . maybe other new businesses will recognize the importance of the fine elementary schools in the EV and contribute to all of them!
This is Mr. Santos. I am the opposite of Guilt Ridden, but thanks for your concern. Amazing how some people can turn any positive they come across into a negative. We raised a significant amount of money last year for the school at Beauty & Essex and hope to raise more this year. And I dare say, the house will be packed with supportive neighbors tomorrow night. Cheers.
At this point I'm sure no one will probably ever read this (I'm LATE to the comment party!) but I think snarking at upmarket businesses that try to support longstanding LES/EV institutions is lame. Most of the fancy newbies ignore local public schools, shelters, parks, clinics and non-profit cultural centers completely. Here's one that's actively supporting us, and you gotta hate? TNS has 45% of its students living below the poverty line. We can only raise so much money from our school families. And when a restaurateur steps up to fundraise for us you snipe? That's super-productive, thanks EVER so much.
Look, I'm as pained as anyone about people being gentrified out of their neighborhoods. Except for a brief spell in San Francisco in the mid-90s, I've lived in NYC (Chelsea in the early 90s, then the EV) my entire adult life. I freak that someone like me could never afford to move here out of college today, and as a writer I worry about what happens to the city's culture if its artists can't afford to live here. I worry about what will happen to its poor and its middle class. I want my kids to grow up in an economically, racially, ethnically and culturally diverse universe. But the best way to insure that going FORWARD (as opposed to looking backward) is for the schmancy folks to support the less schmancy ... which rarely happens. And here Chris Santos is ACTUALLY DOING IT. He's financially ponying up for a school that really needs the help. If you know someone else who fits your definition of acceptable who can make sure a bunch of kids have art and music that the city won't pay for, you go right ahead and let them know, OK?
Thanks, Chef Chris!
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