Ways to Give 2019

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Parent Category: Newsflashes

Category: Newsflash

Giving is a great way to help those who need a hand up this holiday season. We have many ways to help, including gift drives, warm winter wear drives and more.  For any of the great drives below, feel free to organize a toy drive with your office or your baby group!  Have a holiday party potluck and have people bring gifts to donate.

Share these drives with work colleagues, block associations, or on social media. Every little bit helps!

The 2019 Little Essentials' Toy Drive

Suport Little Essentials Holiday Toy Drive and shop their Holiday Wish List on Amazon at from November 18th to December 2nd.

DETAILS: Select the gifts and send to the address near the top of the page: Little Essentials c/o Tribeca Pediatrics' Gift Registry Address

Little Essentials is a PSP favorite not-for-profit partner. They are a community response to a community need, helping families with children under 5 who live at or below the poverty line. PSP has  worked with them for 7 years, ever since founder and Ft. Greene mom Sandie Trombert had her living room chock full of donated items from her baby group friends to distribute to people less fortunate.

Deadline: December 16th

2019 Sheltering Arms Winter Wonders Gift Drive

Use Sheltering Arms Gift Registry for gifts ideas that kids and teens would love to open this holiday season.

Working with Foster Care, and with feedback from our youth 13+ , we decided to provide older youth with gift cards. We kindly ask that families consider donating gift cards (which can be found on the Amazon wishlist) to help us ensure our youth can purchase what they need/want. We have approximately 90 youth who are 13 years old and over. Of course, there is a need for gifts for children of all ages so we would be grateful to receive any gift that your families choose to donate. 

After making your gift, please fill out their online Donation Form - found at https://forms.gle/F5VxBdjZvCGZYVWB8  if you need a tax letter.

• Select Sheltering Arms’ Gift Registry Address for the shipping address

•  Enter your name, your Organization’s name if applicable, your contact information and the name of the Wishlist you chose your gift(s) from

  • E.g. 2019 Winter Wonders - Foster Care in the 'Gift Message' field.

  • If you're donating several gifts from the same wishlist, you only have to enter this information once on the first item listed in checkout

Questions? Contact Diana Ortiz at or (212) 886-5771.

Deadline: Thursday, December 5th

WRAPPING PARTIES-- These are at Sheltering Arms headquarters in Manhattan: 

• • 12/7 12p - 3pm
  • 12/8 12p - 3pm
  • 12/14 12p - 3pm
  • 12/15 12p - 3pm

Lantern Winter Gift Drive 2019

More than 23,000 children age out of the US foster care system every year.
After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.

Lantern Community Services champions the independence and well-being of New York City youth who are threatened with homelessness.

This holiday, many of our youth don’t have families to turn to at all.

With your help, we’ll make sure that every single one of them receives a gift.

Each gift on their Amazon Wishlist is only around $20. 

Please consider donating to our Amazon Wishlist

Or, gifts may be mailed to: 

Lantern Community Services Holiday Gift Drive

c/o Karisa Antonio

494 8th Avenue, 20th Floor

New York, NY 10001

 Lantern is a 501(c)3 tax exempt nonprofit and we would love to give you a letter acknowledging your donation for your tax records. To receive a tax letter, go here  and fill out their form.

 Questions?    

Second Chance Toys

Nearly 14 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $22,050 a year for a family of four. Just by donating a gently used toy, you can make a world of difference in the life of a disadvantaged child and at the same time help keep toys out of our landfills.

From December 2nd until December 12th.

• • Kidville Park Slope

    808 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

    Monday- Friday:9:00 am-5:00 pm

    Sat & Sun call store for hours

    Phone: 718-569-2150

  • Kidville Carroll Gardens

    380 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

    Monday- Friday:9:00 am-5:00 pm

    Sat & Sun call store for hours

    Phone: 718-522-1700

  • Private Building (leave with Doorman)

    265 State St. #801

    Downtown Brooklyn, NY 11201

  • South Slope Doorman Drop-off

    438 12th Street

    Brooklyn, NY 11215

Donate to the 31st Annual New York Cares Coat Drive!

For the last 31 years, New York Cares has channeled the generosity of our city into our annual Coat Drive. Last year we distributed our two millionth coat, and this year our goal is to collect 100,000 new or gently used coats for New Yorkers in need in partnership with social service agencies, public schools, transitional housing shelters, and other nonprofit organizations. 

You can donate new or gently used winter coats at a variety of locations citywide, including any NYPD precinct or our warehouse in Midtown (located at 157 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001). You can also start a collection, or help us purchase new coats at wholesale prices by texting “COAT” to 474747. Every $20 donated will keep a fellow New Yorker warm this winter. The Coat Drive is a proud tradition that shows what New York City is really about: giving back to the community by looking out for one another ❤️

Learn more about the Coat Drive on our website:https://www.newyorkcares.org/coat-drive.

If you have any questions please email us at or call us at (212) 402-1103.

PS 321 COAT DRIVE

December 2-6 coats will be collected in the school entrance (180 Seventh Avenue_.The coats will be distributed to families in need through St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

Give to the PS 130 PTA Holiday Gift Drive for children in need this holiday season

At this time of year, there are so many worthy causes to support, and a great deal of need in the world. We are writing to ask you to consider need closer to home: the children in the PS 130 classrooms in Kensington, Brooklyn.

Each year, the PS 130 PTA sponsors a “Holiday Gift Drive” program: families in need are invited to register their children and fill out a list of needs and wants for the winter, and receive a gift basket of those items for their child(ren) in mid-December. As a Title I elementary school, we have a great number of families eligible for this program. This year we have 95 children registered to receive baskets.

Our program is asking the community at large if they can help by sponsoring winter boots ($30) or a coat & boots ($50) for a child in need. It takes a village to fill that many gift baskets.
On December 16, we’ll deliver 95 baskets, which will hold coats, boots, shoes, pjs, blankets/sheets, hats, gloves, scarves, rain gear, toiletries, socks, underwear, school supplies and backpacks to meet the children’s needs for this year. We’ll also include items from each child’s special “wants” – books, toys, art supplies, games and more.

Two Ways You Can Help - DONATION DEADLINE: TUES DEC 10:
1) Sponsor Winter Boots for $30, or a Coat & Boots for $50.
Please click on this link to give if you are able – and no amount is too small to help us towards the goal:


2) Buy gifts from the Holiday Gift Drive Amazon Wish List.
All gifts on our list are requested items for a specific child – books, toys, games, blankets, sheets & clothing gift cards. Your gift will be sent directly to the school.

PS 130 PTA is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Questions can be emailed to

Thank you for your generosity!
With gratitude,
The PS 130 PTA - Holiday Gift Drive Committee

Shot's for Tots Toy Drive

November 29-December 22(Confirmed date)
Butter & Scotch
818 Franklin Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11225
O:347.350.8890
W: butterandscotch.com
A box will be located in the space to collect toys and a shot is offered for each patron that brings in a new toy."

SURVIVING THANKSGIVING

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Parent Category: Newsflashes

Category: Newsflash

How to survive the Thanksgiving Holidays

There's a not so funny joke that goes like this:

"Why your family is so good at pushing your buttons?"

"Why?"

"Because they installed them!"

So as you go into the holidays next week (I’m giving you a week to prepare) try to remember that it took years to learn those now-instant knee-jerk reactions to the crazy things that your family does. I don't know about you, but it's hard not to turn into the 13 year old runt of the family when I'm around them.

Partners? You have the fun task of being between a rock and a hard place. You're "damned if you do and damned if you don’t." If you criticize your 'in-laws', you're screwed. If you don't criticize your in-laws (and god forbid talk about how their side of the story may make sense) you're also screwed.

So---Here are some tips that you and your partner can use to keep the peace during the Holidays, adapted from this Jezebel article "Social Minefield: How You (and Your Partner) Can Survive Thanksgiving with the Family."

Read more...

Dating Apps (sigh): A Discussion From Our Single/Divorced/Separated Group

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Parent Category: Newsflashes

Category: Newsflash

So you’re looking to enter (or re-enter) the exciting world of dating! It can certainly be daunting, but just know— all of us at Park Slope Parents are rooting for you! Here is some handy advice for navigating those pesky dating apps. 

Here’s the original question:

Hi Fellow SDS-ers,

I am ready to start dating again, and realize that I probably have to use the dreaded apps. I'm in my mid-30's and looking for both short-term fun and a long-term relationship, primarily with cis-men. What I *don't* have is much free time (I have sole custody of my 2-year-old and work full-time). Ideally I'd like to meet guys with kids who will be understanding of my time constraints. 

What apps have you all found tolerable? Also, do you mention your children in your profile? I want to be honest about being a solo parent, but I have been warned that pedophiles will sometimes seek out single moms on these sites in order to gain access to their children (shudder). What are your safety tips?

Thanks for your input!

We’ve compiled and organized  the answers below.

Advice from our members about dating in general: 

Read more...