There was no shortage of gifts for sale at the first ever Vendor Market Fundraising Event held at P.S. 312 on Saturday for the upcoming Mother’s Day or any other occasion.
“It’s the first post-pandemic event where the families of the school can actually get together,” said event organizer and committee chair Lauren Callahan.
She and co-chair Jackie Tammaro got the idea for the market around Christmastime. They received lots of support from Parents’ Association President Lidia Esposito who took care of the details – getting the permits and making sure they were following the guidelines.
“We put out communications to vendor markets, vendor forums, parents and community, and the Bergen Beach Civic Association put out the flyer for us,” Esposito said of the large turnout of buyers.
She said it was a fundraiser for the school where the vendors purchase their spots and keep their proceeds, but money earned from raffles and other activities all go back to the children at the end of the school year as a giveback to the community.
“The school is community-oriented, the principals, the admins – we’re a family,” Esposito said. The many volunteers, PA members, Principal Jamie Yoo, and Assistant Principals Elizabeth Mancini and Lori Falzone all helped make the well-organized event a success.
There was a vendor food truck and free face painting and balloons for the kids while the parents roamed among the over two dozen vendor tables filled with attractive displays of crafts, homemade items, jewelry, books, gift bags, clothing, cosmetics and so much more at the school, which is located at 7103 Avenue T. A great time was had by all!