Making a splash

In just five days, Rockville Centre residents donated approximately 150 bathing suits to children in homeless shelters on Long Island.

Local friends and families organized the grassroots charity through emails. The donation quickly gained steam on July 23 when Jacqui Agresta, an RVC resident and Long Beach School District social worker, sent out the first email.

“It had more to do with me being a mother than a social worker,” said Agresta, regarding why she joined the charity. “Thinking of a child who couldn’t swim because they don’t have a bathing suit or have to swim in their clothes, I thought this was such an easy way to help.”

Fellow donator Dorothy Crowley helped spread the word to nearly 90 local mothers.

“I think [charities] play a big role,” Crowley said. “Certainly it opens the eyes of a lot of families who don’t have to think twice about buying bathing suits. It’s humbling to know our neighbors are struggling. It was nice to see the quick response from the people in the community.”

The donation is ongoing and 266 bathing suits have been collected so far. Later in the summer, the group hopes to provide towels to the Interfaith Nutrition Network, a soup kitchen in Hempstead.