Fairway Donates $30K to ReStore Red Hook Nonprofit

A Brooklyn community devastated by Hurricane Sandy last fall continues to get by—and rebuild—with a little help from its friends.

Fairway Market donated $30,000 to ReStore Red Hook, a non-profit group dedicated to the recovery of the many small businesses that were forced to close after the super storm hit the neighborhood in October.

“Red Hook is a very close knit community and we are all connected and dependent upon each other for our success,” said Bill Sanford, president of Fairway Market.  “What’s good for us is good for the entire neighborhood and vice versa.”

Fairway itself was closed for months following the superstorm last fall, which flooded its aisles and cost owners upwards of $tk. Being the only large super market in the immediate neighborhood, its reopening this spring was celebrated like a holiday by community members.

Since then, the store has sold special t-shirts at checkout designated to raise funds for ReStore Red Hook, which supports stores, shops and restaurants and bars in the neighborhood still in a state of recovery.

The tees raised nearly $15,000; the market then matched the contribution. 

“Fairway has been an extraordinary partner in our rebuilding efforts," said Monica Byrne, co-founder of ReStore Red Hook in a release. "We are thrilled to have Fairway back, better than ever, and we are deeply appreciative of all the incredible support they have offered us in the small business community.”