JULY 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 13
THIS MONTH
INSPIRES GIVING DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
America needs healthy meals on the
table and they need healthcare. Many
of the hospitals did not have adequate
supplies. They did not have enough
respirators, masks, robes, and gloves
for their workers.
Can you describe your best day while
doing philanthropy? I’m on the board
of New York City Mission Society and
we serve the most underserved children
in New York, meaning they live
at or below the poverty level. And so
the things I’ve found most rewarding
is to see the children and observe how
happy they are at the summer program.
These children, there is no camp,
there is only New York City, there is no
place that they can go to. Every year
we host a community dinner right
before Thanksgiving, where we serve
approximately 350 to 400 people in
the community. The bond between the
community and us is just incredibly
rewarding.
How about the worst day? Now, to
see all this suffering. The 30 million
Americans out of work. To see all the
people on the food pantry lines and
the frustration of knowing that I’m
one person, I can’t do everything.
Recently my husband and I donated
10,000 meals to the Heart of The
Hamptons. But this won't solve the
country's problems. To see this human
suffering, many nights I try to sleep
and I can't sleep. I’m very upset over
what’s going on now. There’s a lot of
help in our country, but what’s going
on is catastrophic.
Do you have any favorite sayings?
Einstein: “It’s every man’s obligation
to put back into the world at least the
equivalent of what he takes out.” That’s
not mine but I like it.
Are there any misconceptions that
people have about your work that
you’d like to clarify? When you go out
to a big gala and you are very dressed
up people sometimes think, “Why are
people so dressed up for a charity gala?”
But by making the event glamorous
and by having people get dressed up,
people tend to want to go to the party, so
more money is raised. And when more
money is raised, then the charity prospers.
If it helps bring in more money,
then why not?
Are you planning a follow-up to
your book? This book was written to
inspire people and encourage people,
not only to give monetarily but to volunteer.
If you don’t have the money
to give you can be a philanthropist
just by donating your time and your
knowledge. And then of course if you
have resources, I believe you have an
obligation to give back financially. I
would like to write a followup to my
book, but I just need to find the time.
Right now I’m involved in a lot of
different fundraising efforts and this
takes a lot of time.
Is there anything I didn’t ask about
that you’d like to add? I would like to
encourage the readers to never feel
that they don’t have anything to offer.
Please don’t be afraid to get involved
in the volunteer process. Each and
every one of us has something good
they can offer. And never feel if
you’re donating that it isn’t enough.
Give what you can. During times like
this, never underestimate the value
of compassion. We can pitch in a little
bit and help out. A lot of people say,
“What I can do isn’t going to amount
to much.” But collectively it does
amount to something. It amounts to
a lot.
Jean Shafiroff with her dog, Rosita. (Photo by Michael Pannicia)
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