As you know, we profile Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah children and their Mitzvah Projects regularly. They are all archived on MitzvahMarket.com.
We have written in the past about the on-going project of Alex Grey from Woodbury, New York, called Operation Sweatshirt.
Now in his 6th year collecting and donating sweatshirts, Alex (pictured left) is now a 14-year-old at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, New York.
To date, he has collected more than 1,800 sweatshirts which have been delivered to eight different organizations.
He is collecting once again and asks that you help him by cleaning out your closets and to email this to any friends who may be able to help his cause.
The Grey family can meet you at Cold Spring Harbor High School or Syosset High School, Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury, NY. Email Mom Sue grey at suegrey@verizon.net to make arrangements.
Cleaning out your closet will be helping a good cause!
We love this idea for so many reasons. It’s easy to duplicate anywhere in the country and is a simple solution to a big issue. We also congratulate Alex who has kept his Mitzvah Project going for years past his Bar Mitzvah!
Here’s what Alex had to say when we first interviewed him:
MM: Please explain how you came up with this terrific Mitzvah Project idea.
AG: Children on Long Island go to many Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations throughout the year. Often, they are given a sweatshirt as a giveaway. Throughout the year, they collect so many sweatshirts; they do not know what to do with them. My Mitzvah Project, which I started four years ago, is to collect and then donate sweatshirts to the homeless people of New York City. When I am in New York City in the winter, I see homeless people on the sidewalk and they look like they are freezing. I hope that these sweatshirts will help keep them warm.
Alex, from a few years ago, with some of the many sweatshirts he collected
MM: How many have you collected so far?
AG: Over the past six years, with help from family and friends, I have collected and donated over 1,800 sweatshirts to the homeless and underprivileged on Long Island and in New York City. I hope the homeless people will benefit from these sweatshirts throughout the years.
MM: How do we donate?
AG: We can collect sweatshirts at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Cold Spring Harbor, New York or Syosset High School in Syosset, New York as well as Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury, New York. Any questions contact Mom Sue Grey at suegrey@verizon.net.
We want to thank Alex for sharing this great idea with our Mitzvah Market readers.
