The Village True Value hardware store in East Hampton has joined with a sports apparel company to offer a line of sweatshirts, T-shirts, and caps that will benefit first responders and their families.
Ian Leopold, a Sag Harbor and La Jolla, Calif., resident and the chief executive officer of the American Collegiate Sports and Fitness apparel company, launched a line of First Responders Thank You gear in 2020 to show appreciation for those working on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic. The collection includes $49.95 hoodies for men, women, and children, $25.95 caps and cotton T-shirts, and $28.95 T-shirts made with a moisture-wicking material.
Proceeds will go to the First Responders Children’s Foundation, a national organization that provides financial help to first responders facing economic hardship, and to the families of fallen first responders. Although stores usually take a percentage of sales, Mr. Leopold said, Bernard Kiembock, the owner of Village True Value and a former 25-year volunteer with the East Hampton Fire Department, has asked that 100 percent of profits be donated to the foundation. The gear will be on sale through the end of the year.