Bay Ridge brothers honored as “Heroes of the Month” by borough president

Some heroes wear blankets.

Two Bay Ridge do-gooders were honored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams during a special holiday season edition of “Heroes of the Month” on Wednesday, December 27.

Mike and Nick Fiorito — two brothers known for their Blankets of Hope program in which warm blankets and encouraging notes are distributed to the homeless — were presented with citations at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street) for their work.

“It’s a humbling experience, it’s really so much bigger than us that we cant take the credit. We’re just the faces taking the award,” said Nick, who stressed that the Blankets of Hope movement was larger than just the two brothers.

“The real award goes to everyone who has helped up along this journey and it’s not just me and Mike,” Nick continued.

Recently, in order to expand their program, Mike and Nick created a GoFundMe with a goal of $15,000 that would allow the brothers to purchase 1,000 blankets for the homeless. The outpouring of support was so great, the goal was surpassed in just two months and currently sits at $15,271.

According to Nick, the program is in the process of spreading across the country, with a school in Delaware being the latest to partner with the brothers. They recently sent the school over 200 blankets to distribute to its local homeless population.

However, Nick noted that Blankets of Hope is about more than just giving out blankets.

“We’re trying to give [the homeless] a listening ear and a feeling that they matter,” explained Nick. “You can really lose touch with being part of a society. It’s not always going to be this way just because it’s bad right now.

“There’s a stat that [the homeless] go three months without hearing their name. It’s something we take for granted and it takes a toll on their psyche,” Nick continued.

Also honored at the ceremony were NYPD Detectives Philip Facenda and Thomas Pisano for successfully apprehending the murderers of two young mothers outside a public housing building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, as well as NYPD Officers John Hasiotis, Kevin McGinn, Ryan Nash and Michael Welsome for their work in apprehending terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov and protecting New Yorkers during a terrorist attack in Lower Manhattan on October 31.