Maya McFadden Photo
Valley Street residents Nyla and Kenadi secure strawberry cones.
The temperature rose, and ice cream flowed, as neighborhood fifth-grader Saniyah cooled down during New Haven’s heat wave with the help of an Oreo and fudge vanilla sundae.
She found that cooling treat Friday afternoon thanks to an ice cream pop up shop hosted at the 333 Valley St. community center known as “The Shack.”
The event was organized by Shack partners Andrea Daniels-Singleton and Jerrell Merritt.
With a stock of 200 waffle cones and two 11-liter tubs of strawberry and vanilla ice cream, the two served ice cream to dozens of West Rock youth for an hour on Friday.
Daniels-Singleton said the ice cream social was an expression of gratitude to the youth for a successful school year.
Organizers of Friday’s ice cream social Andrea Daniels-Singleton and Jerrell Merritt.
After seeing a social media post about the event, Valley Street mother Shiya brought her daughter Kenadi and her nieces to The Shack to cool down mid-day.
As kids waited in line for cones and sundaes they played basketball on the outdoor court.
After more than 20 kids got a first round of cooling treats, several kids jumped right back in line to get seconds.
Shack staffers said several of the kids that joined the Friday ice cream line were new to the neighborhood’s newly built Valley Townhouses.
The kids rode bikes to The Shack to hang out in its outdoor play space and nearby playground.
Fourth grader Lauren, fifth graders Tieren and Saniyah, and seventh grader Princess-Ny’Ari enjoyed their sundaes outside the Shack at a picnic table. They enjoyed their ice cream with toppings like bananas, rainbow sprinkles, and whipped cream.
Besides picking up their ice creams because it was hot Friday, with temperatures reaching 88 degrees, the group also said they like to gather with their community, get free food, and get more than one serving.
“They’re so nice for giving out ice cream,” Saniyah said. “And it’s free ice cream. Most people don’t do that.”
Saniyah, Lauren, Tieren, and Princess-Ny’Ari fill up on ice cream and talk beach trip tomorrow.