EAST FLATBUSH — Some seriously heavy machinery is coming to a school near you.
An excavator, ambulance, armored car and fire truck are among a fleet of vehicles arriving at P.S. 770 in East Flatbush this weekend for the school’s first-ever “Touch-a-Truck” fundraiser.
The event, organized by parents at the elementary school, is just what it sounds like: a chance for kids and adults alike to see, touch and explore special trucks and emergency vehicles.
Touch-a-Truck was inspired by a similar event held annually at P.S. 295 in Park Slope, which organizer and Crown Heights resident Robb Mandelbaum has attended with his twin boys, now first graders at P.S. 770.
“Every time a siren would go by, they’d run to the window and go, ‘Ambulance! Firetruck!’ They love that stuff,” he said.
Now, he and others in the school’s PTA are bringing the popular fundraiser to their area in a day-long event that will include a lot more than fancy wheels. Food, cooking demonstrations, kids activities put on by a local adventure company and a reading by children’s illustrator and author Javaka Steptoe are also on the schedule.
Mandelbaum said he and other parents hope the event will raise money for extracurricular and arts programming at P.S. 770 — tickets are $6 per person with discounts for families of three or more — as well as raise the profile of the relatively small school that got its start in 2010; tours of P.S. 770 are including in Saturday’s Touch-a-Truck.
But you don’t have to be part of the school’s community to come, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids in the neighborhood, even if they’re not in the district and can’t go to the school,” he said.
Many of the trucks and vehicles are being donated by local Brooklyn companies and agencies, Mandebaum said, including an ambulance from Midwood Ambulance Service, a fuel truck from Gowanus-based company SJ Fuel Co., an armored car from Rapid Armored Corp., located in Bushwick, and squad car from the 67th Precinct.
There will also be a vintage MTA bus, Fresh Direct delivery truck, Smart Car from the car-sharing company Car2Go and at least one tow truck, he said. All of the vehicles will be available for kids to explore “where that’s appropriate.”
“They can go in them, they can climb in the cab, they can climb in the back,” he said.
The P.S. 770 Touch-a-Truck will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the school, located at 60 E. 94th St. between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the event.
