Hamptons Community Outreach evolved from Hampton Art Camp, which was initially founded by executive director Marit Molin in 2018. The camp was started to give underprivileged children the chance to attend camp at no cost. Then, at the onset of COVID, when it was uncertain whether camp would take place that summer, Hamptons Community Outreach was born. It began as a food delivery service to help families and struggling restaurants in marginalized communities and has since grown into the tremendous community impact it has become today.
HCO’s initiatives include food outreach, crisis care, housing repairs, and child-focused programs. Program Manager Alyssa Bahel spoke more about Hamptons Community Outreach, their development, impact, and how the community can get involved.
Can you talk about the mission of Hamptons Community Outreach?
AB: Our mission is to lift people out of poverty and reduce human suffering by meeting their most basic and critical needs, and by creating opportunities that change the life trajectories for our marginalized neighbors.
Can you explain your services and programs, what they are, and how they make an impact?
AB: Our programs foster a more inclusive community across four areas of outreach:
- Food Outreach: Children, seniors, homeless, and the underemployed are among the many affected by food insecurity. With food banks strained, we fundraise and distribute food for those in need. We provide weekly deliveries of fresh produce, groceries, and grocery gift cards to 400 families living in marginalized communities.
- Crisis Care: Given the high cost of living in the Hamptons, many people are unable to meet urgent needs, such as medical treatments, dental work, access to used cars, utility bills, or rent. We fundraise to help cover these costs and provide assistance to those who need it most. We also support a group of homeless men who live in the woods by providing
them with food, clothing, and motel rooms when needed. We are in the process of setting up a job training program in order to help the homeless gain skills so that they can hold year-round jobs.
- Housing Repairs: Many families in the Hamptons are unable to afford home repairs, forcing them to raise their children in houses with toxic levels of mold, broken windows, missing doors and no heat. To date, we have renovated 65 homes, and we have 48 more on our waiting list.
- Child Centered Outreach: Inspired by our belief that all children should have the chance to realize their potential, we have programs that provide underserved children with excellent opportunities. These include our summer camp (Hamptons Art Camp), academic tutoring, college counseling, swim lessons, birthday parties, and holiday parties. We also gather and distribute resources to meet basic needs, including school supplies, hygiene products, clothing, shoes, and winter coats.
Why is Hamptons Community Outreach so important to the East End?
AB: What distinguishes our organization from others in the area is that we bring our services directly to people wherever they are. We reach elderly, disabled, and others who can’t get to food banks due to lack of transportation, gas money, childcare obligations, or don’t have their paperwork in order. Each of our programs addresses different needs that families below the poverty line face. From home repairs, to helping someone pay a medical bill, we aim to lift our neighbors up by really addressing their struggles and offering as much as we can to support them.
How would you encourage the community to get involved with the mission?
AB: One of the best ways to help your neighbors is to make a donation on our website. Without donations, we could not do any of this very important work. You can also become involved by reaching out to local delis, markets, and restaurants and ask them for leftover food, you can then deliver the food to families in need. We have volunteers who have established relationships with local businesses and deliver food and other supplies on a weekly basis. You can also reach out to companies to secure clothing or other essential items. Lastly, you could set up your own fundraiser: cocktail party, car wash, lemonade stand, etc. in order to raise funds for people in need.
Can you discuss Hampton Art Camp and its affiliation with Hamptons Community Outreach?
AB: In 2018, our founder and Executive Director, Marit Molin, learned that there were children who spent the summer in the back of their parents’ cars, waiting for them to be done with work, or they spent their summer in front of the TV by themselves. This inspired Marit to start a summer camp where 50% of all campers are underserved and attend the camp for no charge. At the onset of COVID, we could not fundraise for the camp, because it was unknown if camp would take place that summer, so we started fundraising for food.
Hamptons Art Camp then morphed into Hamptons Community Outreach (HCO) and started a food delivery program, which was designed to alleviate food insecurity and simultaneously prevent restaurants from closing on the East End of Long Island. HCO purchased meals from struggling restaurants and delivered them to marginalized communities. When we were delivering the meals, we learned more about the needs and poor living conditions of our struggling neighbors. Many of these people are the very people who cut grass, clean pools, and provide housekeeping during the busy summer months. They struggle to pay rent, feed their families, and purchase clothing for their children. With these critical needs in mind, we created additional programs.
How has the organization grown and evolved over the years?
AB: Under the direction of Marit Molin, a licensed clinical social worker, HCO has achieved tremendous impact, changing families’ lives. HCO’s efforts have drawn local and national media attention. Ms. Molin was recognized as Suffolk County’s 2021 “Woman of Distinction” and won Land Rover’s “Above and Beyond” award, which granted HCO a Land Rover Defender to assist us with our work. HCO was recently featured twice in the New York Times for our work with the migrant homeless population.
Alyssa and the rest of the team at Hamptons Community Outreach encourages the community to get involved. Follow along with their important mission on Instagram and visit their website to learn more and help make an impact!
