'She's like an angel': As COVID-19 gained strength, so did her efforts to lift those in need on the East End

Molin is the founder of Hamptons Art Camp, a Bridgehampton-based summer program where 40% of the students do not pay tuition due to financial need. With uncertainty last year surrounding COVID-19 regulations, Molin turned the camp’s annual fundraising efforts toward another community need — hunger.

She put out the call through GoFundMe and letter-writing campaigns. The Hamptons community answered in a big way, giving $250,000 in cash donations and $70,000 in food donations.

"I think the pandemic made everyone feel isolated and disconnected, and it was a way to lessen those feelings," Molin said.

The work began by using the money for groceries as well as cooked meals from local restaurants like La Hacienda in Southampton and Pepperoni’s Pizza in East Hampton. The effort had a twofold benefit. Restaurants that suddenly closed during the pandemic received a new income stream, while struggling families were provided hot meals.

The population served by the program is a mix, Molin said. It includes immigrants, but also local single mothers who may have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Hamptons Community Outreach also delivers meals to migrant farmworkers living in Water Mill who are from the American South and make their way to the East End to pick vegetable crops.

"I think she’s the Elon Musk of social work," Hamptons Community Outreach board member Nick Gazzolo said of Molin’s outside-the-box thinking in a reference to the Tesla founder. "A real visionary."

Today the service operates by bringing grocery and medical supplies biweekly to 150 households.

Therapy can be expensive. Even more so in a place with a high cost of living like the South Fork.

Couple that with COVID-19’s impact on mental health — financial woes, marital problems, isolation and more — and suddenly more people on the East End were seeking affordable therapy than ever before.

"The pandemic just made life so much harder for people," Molin said. "We see substance abuse. We see an increase in anxiety, especially among adolescents."

Through Hamptons Community Outreach, Molin and two other clinical social workers began offering no-cost therapy to those in need. The organization is applying for grant money to expand that service.

The effort went beyond basic needs to include enrichment activities.

The organization offered free weekly tennis and art lessons for the underserved at the Bridgehampton Childcare Center from volunteer instructors, including a former U.S. Open competitor.

Joanne Comber-Jimenez, owner of Hamptons Pony, which offers riding lessons in Bridgehampton, will soon offer discounted riding lessons for underserved children, paid for by Molin’s group.

"I think it’s going to open a whole new world to these children," Comber-Jimenez said. "I’m just inspired by her every time I talk to her."

Money raised through the program also goes to tutoring, urgent medical care and birthday parties for children who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

Roxana Duron, of Southampton, helped connect Molin with those in need during the pandemic, including a friend who was dealing with vision loss. The organization funded his corrective eye surgery.

"I swear to God, she’s like an angel," Duron said. "In this world, it is very difficult to find people like her."

The ripple effect of Molin’s work reverberated through a social media campaign launched last summer.

The campaign asked people to share an act of kindness on social media using the hashtags #ICARE❤️ and #hamptonscommunityoutreach and to encourage others to do the same. It also raised money in part by selling clothes with the #ICARE❤️ logo on it.

The campaign drew attention from social media influencers like Bravo’s "The Real Housewives of Dallas" star Jennifer Davis and was shared by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, which also partnered with the organization to distribute food.

Kristin Davey, a children’s yoga instructor from Sag Harbor, spread the word through her own social media account and by wearing the gear. Her daughter, Gaylin, a senior at Pierson High School, helped spearhead a diaper drive at the school that collected nearly 5,000 diapers.

"I think she’s incredibly inspiring," Davey said of Molin. "I think she sets a wonderful example of what just one person really can do."