More than 1,000 residents and Bowdoin College students joined at The Gelato Fiasco’s annual Scoop-a-Thon to provide more support for the Brunswick Teen Center than ever before.

The Gelato Fiasco donated $3,012 in sales from Wednesday’s event. When combined with raffle proceeds and donations from other supporting businesses, the community raised $5,336 for the Brunswick Teen Center in just one day.

This is a record-setting total for the event, which has been held for five consecutive years. On average, one dish or pint of gelato was served every 41 seconds during the 12 hours of the event. In the busiest hour, servers scooped three dishes per minute.

The event brings together people from across the community. Nearly 50 celebrity scoopers from Bowdoin College athletic teams, community organizations, town government, and local schools drew in customers and provided comic relief as they learned to scoop under pressure. They were supported by additional volunteers and entertainers. Musicians from the community, Brunswick High School, and Bowdoin College also performed on the Maine Street sidewalk.

“It’s impressive to see more than 1,000 people come together with the mission of representing our community and supporting the Brunswick Teen Center.” said Joshua Davis, co-founder of The Gelato Fiasco. “Folks have a lot of fun while creating important results for a terrific community organization.”

The Gelato Fiasco donated all sales beyond the seasonal daily average for a similar Wednesday in April. Customers were able to participate by simply purchasing a dish of gelato or cup of coffee at regular prices.

The event was part of The Gelato Fiasco’s Scooping for Community Program, through which The Gelato Fiasco has now donated nearly $10,000 to school and community groups in the greater Brunswick and Portland areas during the 2012-2013 academic year.

For the first time, other local businesses also joined to support the event. Supporting Sponsors included The Big Top Deli, El Camino, The Little Dog Coffee Shop, Maine Optometry, Morning Glory Natural Foods, Little Tokyo, Paper Trails, Waterfront Maine, and Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union. Each donated $200 or more to the Brunswick Teen Center.

The Gelato Fiasco, which was founded and is headquartered in Brunswick, uses authentic Italian methods, Maine milk, and fresh ingredients to create gelato flavors from scratch. In addition to the flavors available daily at its stores in Brunswick and Portland, the brand is also available in grocery stores and restaurants throughout New England.

The Brunswick Teen Center is a program of People Plus and provides a free after-school drop-in center for teens in grades 6 through 12. The center serves youth living in Brunswick, Harpswell, Topsham, and surrounding towns, and provides a safe place for young people to gather. The center offers supervision, free after-school snacks, and many fun activities.