Pam Lawson and all of her volunteers had an incredibly successful Baby Boutique event. Thank you to everyone in the Huntington community and Temple Beth El who donated, supported and participated in this event. Special shout out to Lisa Bennett and Irma Talbot for their expertise and support.
Thank you to Emilia’s Bakery, Kerber’s Farm and Catalina’s Bake shop for supporting our Sandwich Program every week with bread and sweets. Project H.O.P.E. continues to benefit from all the desserts, especially pies that are donated for their monthly meals.
Thank you to our gift wrappers, shoppers and supporters that help to create birthday magic for our Birthday-In-A-Duffle program each month. Northport/East Northport School District was just added to our list of districts we support. We look forward to more districts joining this project in the coming months.
Thanks to Paula Klein and all of her wonderful volunteers. We had another successful H.I.H.I. season hosting 24 guests at a local motel. We couldn’t have done it without the help of the Huntington Jewish Center and the East Northport Jewish Congregation who always share in the hosting responsibilities. Thanks to all the chefs who participated and to Project H.O.P.E. for providing meals for this year. It takes a community for programs to be successful!
Temple Beth El’s Social Action Committee became an important part of my life and my involvement sparked from raising three Jewish children. I wanted to see them involved in activities that would broaden their viewpoint and offer them the opportunity to give back to our community. While we volunteered in several of the different programs, my daughter most enjoyed participating in the Baby Boutique. After a few years of volunteering, I was hooked! In February of 2020, I agreed to take over a leadership role as coordinator.
There is so much that I love about the Baby Boutique, most importantly, the cause. Every child deserves to be born in a safe and secure environment. We are providing necessities for little ones in our community while helping to ease some of the financial burdens of parenthood. In addition to our dedicated temple members, the outpouring of generosity from our neighbors has been incredible. I have enjoyed the outreach aspects of this project, connecting with local schools and religious communities, parent groups and community members. We’ve had an amazing response to our call for donations and volunteers. This project provides an opportunity for all ages to participate. Parents have brought their children by to donate gently used toys, books, and clothing. Young teenagers have been engaged through collecting donations and sorting items. I count on our strong teenage volunteers to unload cars and to move the larger items during setup. Our older or less mobile volunteers can sit with friends while folding and organizing the baby clothes. There is something for everyone. Collections typically occur for about 4-6 weeks before the event. Setup is completed within three days.
It all comes together, and the magic happens! Guests are invited to our event through local resources including the Dolan Clinic and Family Service League. People began lining up this year at 7:00 a.m. for a 12:00 start! Word about this event has certainly spread. Our volunteers and guests alike have come to look forward to joining us each year, creating another successful Baby Boutique. Please join us next year!