Westhampton Beach Middle Schooler Collecting Back-to-School Donations

When Westhampton Beach eighth-grader Leah Ravin was considering a community service project for her Bat Mitzvah next month, one thing she knew for certain was she wanted to focus on helping other children.

After being connected with Heart of the Hamptons Executive Director Molly Bishop last spring, it immediately became clear she’d work with the nonprofit and contribute to its Backpack Kids program, which provides back-to-school supplies to those in need.

“My family has always placed an emphasis on helping people,” the 12-year-old said. “During COVID quarantine, my family and I donated lots of food to local pantries in Westhampton, and prior to that, I had volunteered at a food pantry preparing and distributing food packages. So, when I heard about Heart of the Hamptons and their programs supporting kids, it was a no-brainer that it was an organization I wanted to support.”

Bishop shared with her that Heart of the Hamptons serves over 6,000 Town of Southampton residents, providing food, clothing, personal care items, back-to-school supplies, sporting equipment, instruments and “whatever else we can to ensure all children can get the experience they deserve.” Ravin’s collecting began at the end of the school year, when many of her friends in East Quogue, Quogue, Westhampton and Remsenburg emptied their backpacks and donated gently used or unused supplies.

“Leah is such a mature, caring kid,” Bishop said. “We talked a lot about how many people don’t realize how much so many of our neighbors and our children’s classmates are struggling to get by, and I was so impressed with how dedicated she was to using her special day to help others and engage her friends and family to join her in that effort.”

Ravin created an Amazon wish list and put a QR code to it on a flyer she passed around town. The middle schooler even went to local businesses asking to place donation bins in their shops. Jenn Sperber of Mixology and Theresa Summer of the Quogue Shop immediately wanted to get involved, and even posted her flyer on their social media pages to raise awareness to her cause.

Sperber said she first met the soon-to-be 13-year-old a couple of years ago, when she came into her shop looking to wear juniors’ clothes.

“She was so cute and passionate about how she wanted to dress, and I’ll never forget that,” Sperber said. “When her mom reached out to me about helping with her Mitzvah project, I was so excited. At Mixology, our mission statement is to inspire confidence in all women, so I jumped at the opportunity to help in any way I could.”

The business owner even donated 10 percent of sales — $534 — from Wednesday, August 16, when Ravin hosted a collection drive at the shop, to Heart of the Hamptons. She has now raised nearly $1,000 on top of her school supply contributions.

“At Mixology, we know how important it is to give back,” said Sperber, who added she is also the mother of a young daughter. “Supporting young girls like Leah is so important in leading by example. We want to lead the way for these kids, which is why our hiring age is also 14. Although some people may think that’s crazy, we think it’s awesome.”

The day prior to her fundraiser at Mixology, Theresa Summer, owner of the Quogue Shop, helped Ravin host another collection drive at her store, which has served the local neighborhood for 34 years. Summer said her first impression of the rising eighth-grader was: “Wow.”

“When I first met Leah, I knew she was quite unique,” Summer said. “She is a community-minded young girl with a zest for life. She has a twinkle in her eye for her village. When I heard of her passion for her project, I was honored to help her in any way I could. I wanted to assist Leah because Quogue Shop is a leader in community spirit and we believe that it takes a village to run our village.”

Ravin said the support has been overwhelming.

“Now my garage is filled with school supplies that I can’t wait to distribute,” she said. “It feels good to know that I’m helping kids get prepared and ready to learn in school. Before spending time on this project, I feel I took for granted the ability to go back to school shopping with my parents, and that I am always prepared to learn each school year. I now understand what a privilege that is and that some kids can’t even get the essentials.”

Ravin’s mother, Karyn, said Bishop played an important role in her daughter’s decision making.

“Ms. Bishop spent meaningful time with Leah sharing how the organization works and explained that since COVID, there has been a significant increase in families they have had to support on the East End,” the mother said. “I watched Leah’s reaction as Ms. Bishop shared very specific stories and anecdotes of all the different ways that the families are supported beyond the food pantry, and that is when Leah became even more motivated to do something to help.”

She said the impact on their lives has been tremendous.

“It’s common for children to do what’s called a Mitzvah project as part of those preparations in order to truly live the Jewish value of showing compassion to others through community service and social action, and we are incredibly proud of the way Leah went about trying to identify the right organization and effort to support. We’re proud of her for taking on this initiative,” the mother said. “As a family, we have volunteered at other food pantries and shelters and have been involved in many other fundraising activities. But this is the first time that Leah has driven the efforts herself, and we hope it won’t be the last.”

Ravin is now in the final stretch of collecting supplies, and will be working a Heart of the Hamptons event on August 24 in Southampton where students will be able to “shop” for what they need for the new school year.

“I hope that families who need help with food and other essentials know that the organization is available in our community, and that they take advantage of all that Heart of the Hamptons has to offer,” Ravin said. “I also hope that teachers in our area who may see a student in their classroom without supplies or who have other basic needs will reach out to the Heart of the Hamptons, because I know the organization will do all they can to help.”