Two East Enders Found Operation Give Back – A Clothing Line With A Cause

North Fork Event Co., an event production company founded by Monique Parsons of Baiting Hollow and Shannon Reitz of Riverhead, has found a fashionable way to give back to both first responders and struggling small business.

The duo recently launched Operation Give Back Apparel, a clothing line with twice the impact. “We created this double-initiative support program for local small businesses and for first responders. I know that the hospitals have been getting a lot of attention because of the pandemic, and I feel like our first responders have been getting attention, but not as much attention as the frontline hospital workers,” Parsons told Hamptons.com. “We felt like they deserved a little recognition as well. So we created signature custom apparel that represent first responders and EMF fire and police. There are hats, stickers, t-shirts.”

Parsons continued, “They’re all printed here on the North Fork and they’re all either completely made in the US or they’re made of US components.” The collection encompasses women’s, men’s, and youth apparel in an array of hues, as well as a variety of stickers. Items range from $3.99 to $25.

After an item is purchased, North Fork Event Co. utilizes the funds to support a small business where the customer is from. “The net proceeds that come from the sale will go to purchase gift cards in the areas where the purchases came from. So if somebody purchased in Arizona, we’re going to go and purchase a gift card at a local business that’s struggling in Arizona,” she explained. “And then those gift cards are going to be given to our first responders in that same area as a thank you and to show our appreciation for them for being on the frontlines during this time.”

With online shopping, the possibilities are endless and the duo hopes that that leads to the initiative having a far-reaching impact. “We’re trying to make it a nation-wide initiative. We’ve gotten some sales in Arizona,” Parsons noted. “We’ve gotten a lot of sales here on the North Fork, which is fantastic. And then some in neighboring states, New Jersey, there’s been a few in Connecticut.”

“We plan to continue the program for at least the next few months,” Parsons added.

North Fork Event Co. has also introduced the Stay Strong Long Island collection. $5 from the sale of each shirt will be donated to a nonprofit partnered with each town. NoFo Event Co. is currently looking for nonprofits to partner with. Non-profits interested in learning more can contact [email protected].

To view the Operation Give Back Apparel and Stay Strong Long Island collection, visit www.northforkevent.com.