Giving Back at Home

The last two months have changed the world for us all. Here in New York, we have been on PAUSE, meaning our events have been canceled and we are staying home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. While our Hudson Valley based team has not been impacted as severely as our New York City or perhaps some of our California brethren, we are definitely feeling the impact. It isn't just about us not being able to suit up and see our friends and fans, it is about the pause that has been placed on our charitable work. By this time last year, we had already donated to Pets Alive and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and had volunteered as the water station for Fearless! For us, this inability to act on our mission was a hard pill to swallow. Instead of continuing to grieve for our losses, we got to work. One of our members, Max Corbett, teamed up with the Northeast Face Shield Project to deliver over 3,000 3D printed face shields. Peter Natale was inspired by Max's work and put his 3D printer to work for St. John Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, after a request from a doctor was passed on through the Westchester Library Association, printing headbands for faceshields. Our founders, Tara Sobel and Matthew Bennett, got out the sewing machines and heeded the call of the Middletown Police Department by sewing cloth masks. Masks were also donated to our friends at Pets Alive, and the team will continue to sew as long as they have fabric and elastic! So, while we know this pandemic will be with us for a while and it has definitely changed our lives, we can be pleased that our mission remains constant and HVGB will continue to serve our communities in any way that we can. Stay safe out there, friends, until we meet again!