Mayor fund hikes East Harlem blast aid by $333K

REBNY, Con Edison among first to pledge funds aimed at helping victims of explosion

From left: Chirlane McCray and Bill de Blasio (Credit: Rob Bennett for the Mayor's Office) and rubble of collapsed buildings in East Harlem blast (Credit: @khalidkhan787 via Twitter)
From left: Chirlane McCray and Bill de Blasio (Credit: Rob Bennett for the Mayor's Office) and rubble of collapsed buildings in East Harlem blast (Credit: @khalidkhan787 via Twitter)

A nonprofit headed by New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray has gathered more than $333,000 in donations from 400 private groups to fund counseling and assistance for East Harlem blast victims.

The members of the Real Estate Board of New York and gas utility company Con Edison were among the first to pledge funds to the nonprofit Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, which McCray heads, Capital New York reported. Other donors included the Mount Sinai Health System, which gave $15,000, and the UJA-Federation of New York, which gave $10,000. The money will go towards the cost of funerals, food, clothing and transitional housing for victims, according to the news site.

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Developers with REBNY were also among the first to come to victims’ aid, offering 34 apartment to house residents displaced by the explosion that claimed eight lives earlier this month. Real estate executives coordinated with the New York State Association for Affordable Housing to provide the temporary and long-term lodging, in a move seen by some as a show of support for the de Blasio administration. [Capital New York]Angela Hunt