Christmas came early last week for dozens of underprivileged children at four schools and three baseball camps in the small city of San Francisco de Macoris in the Dominican Republic.
Thanks to the support and coordination of Harvey Bennett, who owns the Tackle Shop in Amagansett, the arrival of several large bulk containers of baseball and tennis equipment, shoes, clothing, and school supplies that were shipped from East Hampton brought smiles of appreciation to the faces of the young boys and girls on the island nation.
“Seeing all the pictures and videos that the school superintendent sent to me of the kids opening up the various containers makes it all worthwhile,” said Mr. Bennett, who, with his white beard, bears a slight resemblance to Santa. “You can see it in their smiles how appreciative they are of what they received. I sent the shipments back in early November, and I’m glad they arrived before Christmas for them.”
“I was even told that one of the kids took a baseball bat to bed with him that night,” he added. “It’s a very good feeling when you hear something like that.”
For several years now, Mr. Bennett has been on a quest to secure and ship various goods and wares to the country. “The outpouring of support from the East End community and even those as far away as California, Georgia, Florida, and Canada has been just fantastic,” he said. Not only have people donated supplies, but they have also given money to help pay to ship them to the Dominican Republic.
More than a third of the country’s residents live on less than $1.25 a day, and over 20 percent of the country lives in extreme poverty. “The poverty is so extreme,” Mr. Bennett said. “It’s sad when you travel there to some of the more rural areas where it’s really bad. Kids don’t even have school paper to write on and many don’t have shoes.”
In addition to donations from individuals, East Hampton Indoor Tennis gave over 75 tennis rackets, and Easton, a large sporting goods manufacturer, donated 80 aluminum baseball bats.
“I’ve had many people just walk into my store not to buy tackle, but to drop off some school supplies, tennis outfits, shoes, or even just an old baseball mitt they found in their closet,” he said. “I think we shipped off about 50 baseball gloves in the last shipment alone. It’s nice that so many people have either dug into their wallet or scrounged around in their house for what ultimately goes to some very deserving kids. It’s so appreciated by everyone down there.”
Mr. Bennett hopes to make a trip to the Dominican Republic this winter to check on the schools and the children. He also plans to continue collecting additional sporting goods, clothing, and school supplies for another delivery or two next year.
“It’s more work than people could ever imagine,” he said. “I can’t begin to add up all of the hours it takes to secure the containers, arrange delivery, and actually pack everything off.”
“But I thank the many people who helped make this all happen. Everyone should feel gratified that they have touched so many lives just in time for the holidays.”
