AFTEE, Dan’s Taste of Summer Give Back to Hamptons and North Fork

Dan’s Taste of Summer is all about celebrating the best of the East End, and among the best aspects of life on the North and South Forks are the myriad charitable groups that dedicate themselves to improving life for countless local residents.

Our longest-running charity partner, AFTEE will once again be a beneficiary of both Dan’s GrillHampton on July 21 and Dan’s Taste of Two Forks on July 22. A portion of proceeds from both events will go to support this 501(c)(3) charitable organization that aids the efforts of other nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the five East End towns.

AFTEE unites and supports NPOs of Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, Shelter Island and East Hampton, raising awareness of their role in making the East End one of the most desirable places to live in the world. It was created by Myron Levine in 2012 with the vision of showcasing and supporting the charity, culture and service that nonprofit organizations provide to the East End community, inspiring fellowship among those organizations around a common purpose and raising public awareness of the more than 1,000 registered charitable organizations in the five East End towns.

Through an annual grant process overseen by the Long Island Community Foundation with input from the AFTEE Advisory Committee, proposals are reviewed and approved to support projects and programs in the fields of health and welfare, the environment, arts and culture, education, youth development and animal welfare.

In 2016, grants were awarded to the following organizations for a range of projects:

East Hampton: Amagansett Food Institute (to assist local farms understand and plan for implementation of new FDA regulations); Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center (for a series of workshops to help parents, teachers and administrators better assist children 18 months to four years in their development and school readiness); I-tri: Inspirational Triathlon Racing International (to strengthen the emotional and physical well-being of middle school girls); Project MOST (to launch a college preparation, financial planning and career exploration program for youth that serve as group leaders in the organization’s after school program); YMCA East Hampton RECenter (for a mentoring program to teach entrepreneurial skills to teens).

Riverhead: East End Disability Associates (for acting classes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities); Every Child Matters Fund (for a series of training workshops to help parents gain the skills to advocate for public policies and investments that affect their children); Hallockville Museum Farm (to provide 10 summer camp scholarships to children from families within Riverhead’s Latino community); North Fork Spanish Apostolate (for a training program to help immigrant parents better understand how to assist their children to improve educational outcomes); Open Arms Care Center (to replenish the emergency food pantry stock).

Shelter Island: Shelter Island Historical Society (for costs associated with the design and installation of exhibition space); Shelter Island Public Library Society (to launch an intergenerational discussion program on world affairs in partnership with Shelter Island High School).

Southampton: Children’s Museum of the East End (to teach nutrition and healthy eating habits to children on the Shinnecock Reservation, in partnership with the Wuneechanunk Preschool); Family Service League (to expand a mental health support group for teens and young adults to Southampton) SEPA Mujer (for a workers’ and women’s rights education, empowerment and leadership program for Latina immigrants); Southampton Community Housing and Development Corporation (for cleanup efforts tied to a housing development project that includes five sites in Riverside); South Fork Natural History Museum (for an after school bilingual environmental education program).

Southold: Community Action Southold Town, Inc. (for the purchase of books and toys); Group for the East End (for three native planting projects); Town of Southold (to create and disseminate a video about affordable housing).

To learn more about AFTEE, visit AFTEE.org. To learn more about the Long Island Community Foundation, visit licf.org.

For more information and to purchase tickets to Dan’s GrillHampton and Dan’s Taste of Two Forks, visit DansTaste.com.