Gelato Fiasco Scoop-a-Thon returns April 29 for Brunswick Teen Center

One scoop, one dish or one coffee at Gelato Fiasco’s downtown Brunswick flagship will send $2 to the Brunswick Area Teen Center on Wednesday, April 29, when the 18th annual Scoop-a-Thon runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at 74 Maine Street.

The fundraiser turns the ice cream shop into a direct funding source for a program that serves youth in grades 6-12, with no geographic membership requirement, at the Coffin School Building at 22 Barrows Drive. People Plus says membership, food and activities are provided at no cost, and the Teen Center offers a full meal five days a week along with homework mentoring, games, field trips, art programs and crafts. Taylor Carter, the Teen Center director, called the Scoop-a-Thon the center’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

That work matters because the Teen Center is a daily landing place for more than 50 teens who come in five days a week for a free, safe hangout and after-school support. Carter said the center distributes roughly 30 meals per day, a reminder that the fundraiser is not just about discretionary extras but about keeping a basic support system running in town.

The Scoop-a-Thon has become one of Brunswick’s most reliable civic rituals. Organizers say the event has drawn more than 1,000 participants a year and has helped raise more than $100,000 for the Teen Center over the years. Gelato Fiasco says the fundraiser helped fill the Teen Center’s end-of-year funding gap early in the program’s history, giving the event an outsized role in the center’s long-term stability.

This year’s goal is to raise $18,000 during the month of April. That target builds on a record of steady support, including the 16th annual Scoop-a-Thon in 2024, which raised $12,455 for the Teen Center. The program also marked its 20th anniversary in June 2025 at the Coffin School location, where about 75 people attended, underscoring how deeply rooted it has become in Brunswick life.

Gelato Fiasco’s broader Scooping for Community program now works with more than 50 organizations and has donated more than $100,000 back to greater Brunswick and Portland communities. Its Brunswick flagship, open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., sits within walking distance of Bowdoin College and the Amtrak Downeaster station, a location that helps bring in both local families and visitors. For one day, that foot traffic becomes a direct pipeline to teen services at 22 Barrows Drive.