This holiday season, take a moment to think about local businesses before you click the ‘confirm order’ button on eBay, Amazon or the like. Every purchase made through the inaugural Hamptons Holiday Shop, running through December 31, delivers a double dose of good—helping East End businesses stay afloat during the pandemic and supporting the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s mission to protect and care for this community.
“We understand how easy it is to click that button,” Southampton Hospital Foundation (SHF) Executive Director Mirella Cameran-Reilly says. “However, in putting this program together, I went into so many shops from Westhampton to Montauk, and I was amazed at how many beautiful boutiques and services are available right here on our doorsteps from local people who get to know you and greet you with a smile every time you go in.”
All shoppers have to do to participate is sign up to receive the exclusive Hamptons Holiday Shop invitation email at bit.ly/HamptonsHolidayShop and then show it to the clerk during checkout for a portion of proceeds to benefit Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. Proceeds from participating businesses in East Hampton will help raise funds towards the building of a new East Hampton Emergency Department, which Cameran-Reilly reports is only about $6 million away from becoming a reality after less than a year of fundraising.
“The outpouring of support for Stony Brook Southampton Hospital from our East End community during the spring peak of COVID-19 was overwhelming,” Cameran-Reilly continues. “People would show up every day with much-needed monetary donations; breakfast, lunch and dinner were delivered for days on end; and homemade gowns and masks were sent in. To try to give back to this community, which had given so much, we re-engineered our annual Summer Party to work exclusively with local vendors to ensure that every penny spent on the reimagined event, which turned into 37 micro-galas of less than 10 people, would go back into this local community.”
Continuing that effort to support local businesses during the pandemic while also raising money for the hospital, the SHF concocted the Hamptons Holiday Shop. “Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has deep roots in the communities we serve, and so we reached out to everyone we knew to see if Hamptons Holiday Shop would serve them,” Cameran-Reilly explains. “It really is a win-win situation, especially during the holidays. People can have fun shopping, dining or indulging in a spa treatment while doing some real good at the same time.”
Dozens of businesses are participating in the Hamptons Holiday Shop, including Donna Karan’s Urban Zen, Tutto Il Giorno, Joey Wölffer, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Hamptons Coffee Company, Hampton Jitney, Bonne Nuit, Hampton & Dune Furniture & Accessories, J. McLaughlin, Golden Pear Cafe, Ed’s Lobster Bar, Tenet, Janet O’Brien Caterers & Events, Elegant Affairs Catering, Southampton Inn, East End Taste, East Hampton Gardens, Cindy Chang Wellness, Thuyen Skincare, K-Pasa, Mecox Bay Dairy, Peserico and Plain-T. More businesses are signing up every day by emailing Mirella.CameranReilly@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
“I know how easy it is to shop online at the push of a button, but this year especially, please consider whether a local business may fulfil your need just as well, if not better,” comments Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Robert S. Chaloner. “As always, we are relying on this amazing East End community to come together and help us support each other and I’ve no doubt that once again, they will come through for us.”
To learn more about the Hamptons Holiday Shop, visit bit.ly/HHSeventinfo.
