NEW YORK — It all started with a simple observation one Halloween night. While trick or treating, Patrick and Ethan Morningstar were surprised to see that some kids didn’t have Halloween costumes.

“My kids came home that night and were kind of shocked and said, ‘Why is that the case?’,” said Alan van Capelle, the boy's father, referring to that Halloween night.

The answer to that question may have been complicated, but for the 9-year-old and 7-year-old brothers there was a simple solution. With flyers in hand, the boys went door to door to buildings in their neighborhood asking for donations of lightly used Halloween costumes.

“We went and put them up in different buildings and hoped for the best,” Ethan Morningstar shrugged.

The result was even more than they could have imagined.

“When I saw all of those costumes, I was more than surprised,” said Patrick Morningstar.

Neighbors emptied their costume closets into the boys' donation boxes and, as news spread, packages from across the country arrived with even more costumes, many of them brand new. The boys also received hundreds of dollars of donations that they put toward buying more costumes and accessories.

“I love that my kids want to help people, who, by no fault of their own can’t afford a Halloween costume,” van Capelle said with a smile.

Last week, Patrick and Ethan held their first costume give away in their neighborhood on the Lower East Side.

“And the line was so big, it actually went around the block,” said Ethan Morningstar.

More than 150 costumes were placed into the hands of happy customers along with face paint and other accessories.

“For me it feels fantastic and I’m just happy to see that everyone is getting a costume,” said Patrick Morningstar.

It's happiness Patrick and Ethan hope to continue to share again next Halloween.

“The kids said, while they were handing this out , if it’s this big now, imagine what it’s going to be next year,” said van Capelle.

“This year on the Lower East Side I think everyone will have very nice costumes and I think we got some trick-or-treat bags too,” said Patrick Morningstar.

So, for giving a Halloween treat to their city, Patrick and Ethan Morningstar are our New Yorkers of the Week.