By Dana Klosner-Wehner
Starting Saturday and until Jan. 6, $1 of the cost of every package the store ships will be donated to Toys of Hope, a nonprofit organization based in Huntington that helps families, children and their pets with toys, clothes and food, in Seifert’s “Ship for a Cause” campaign.
All of the money donated to Toys of Hope goes directly to needy families, Seifert said. The money she raises will help the organization assist more than 50,000 homeless and needy adults, children and pets in Nassau and Suffolk counties as well as in Queens.
“She provides new clothes for kids,” Seifert said of Melissa Doktofsky, founder and president of Toys of Hope. “She’ll provide a new shirt to an adult for a job interview. She gets very involved with families. This week she’s taking care of seven families that have been evicted.”
The UPS store will kick off its campaign from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday with a guest appearance by Santa Claus, who will arrive in style in a UPS truck.
Seifert joined forces with Toys of Hope through the Long Island Way, a nonprofit organization that pairs businesses with nonprofits. “We help nonprofits and business grow together in mutually beneficial relationships,” said Donna Cariello, Long Island Way’s founder. “Mary’s an amazing woman who is giving and available to the Long Island Way community.”
Seifert’s goal is to ship more than 3,000 packages this holiday season. “Who doesn’t want to help children, families and their pets?” she said.
The UPS Store is at 672 Dogwood Ave. Its phone number is (516) 292-0990.
For more on Ship For a Cause, go to theupsstore.com/5338.htm. For more on Toys of Hope, go to toysofhope.org. For more on the Long Island Way, go to thelongislandway.com.
Comments about this story? (516) 569-4000 ext. 206, or e-mail joconnell@liherald.com.
