It was a grand old time!
The new philanthropic wing of a venerable Brooklyn democratic club hosted its inaugural event in Bergen Beach on Tuesday, where members treated local seniors to free food and entertainment as a way of giving thanks for their ongoing support, according to one club member.
“We had an idea to take off with a senior barbecue, where we would invite seniors to a free senior barbecue, with entertainment, food, and have a day to relax and thank them for their support of the Thomas Jefferson club,” said Mitchell Partnow, a member of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club.
More than 200 fun-loving oldsters turned out for the barbecue organized by Thomas Jefferson Club Cares at St. Bernard Catholic Academy on E. 69th Street, which was sponsored by Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss Frank Seddio, Marine Park Councilman Alan Maisel, and Canarsie District Leader Sue Ann Partnow, and featured all the staples of classic American cuisine, including hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, peppers, macaroni salad, potato salad and lots of watermelon, Partnow said.
“We had so much watermelon, we actually raffled [some] off,” he said.
The club’s barbecue was so popular, Partnow says the new charity group hopes to make it an annual affair, in addition to hosting other events throughout the year geared towards Brooklyn’s elderly.
The Thomas Jefferson Club Cares will also focus on purely philanthropic endeavors, including a planned canned food drive ahead of Thanksgiving, providing seniors and other community members an opportunity to help those less fortunate.
“[The barbecue] was more of a community event. In the future, we want to do charity events and things like that, which is what’s in the pipeline right now.”
Community members looking to get involved in local politics should head to the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club’s weekly meetings [77 Conklin Ave. between E. 93rd and E. 94th streets in Canarsie, (718) 549-7830, tjdem
