NEW YORK – The Yankees kicked off the 16th edition of HOPE Week (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) by honoring the nonprofit Love, Nana at Yankee Stadium on Monday.
The organization was put together by Joan Hyland, 87. Since 2020, with the help of family and close friends, Hyland has provided essential resources for thousands of families who are facing tough odds in navigating the initial years of parenthood. The families are from Long Island and the Tri-State area.
Hyland’s mission began when the COVID-19 epidemic started to reach its zenith. One of Hyland’s grandsons, Lynbrook police officer Ryan White, told her that he knew a local coffee shop employee who needed baby clothes.
Hyland worked the phones and acquired some lightly worn clothing that one of her great-grandchildren had outgrown. She then created a beautiful care package, washing and neatly folding the items.
Fully tapping into her maternal instincts, Hyland found the satisfaction of helping was profound – and a charity was born.
“[Hyland] is amazing. It was awesome to meet her,” said Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. “It’s an amazing story about how many families she is helping. It’s so motivational. Such a great thing to be a part of.”
Hyland’s work was recognized by the Bronx Bombers, who donated $10,000 to her organization.
“I know [being recognized is] going to be good for my business because more people are going to know about me,” Hyland said. “The more stuff I get, the more clothes I get, the more bags I can make, the more I can make people happy. Even though I never see the people I give the bags to, it doesn’t matter.”
Dozens of local students and residents have volunteered for the organization. Love, Nana is partnering with Backyard Players & Friends (BPF), a nonprofit started by Hyland’s daughters that provides programming for teens and young adults with intellectual disabilities or autism. BPF participants volunteer three times a week to sort, launder and fold baby clothes while learning vocational and social skills.
Several members of the Yankees, including Goldschmidt, outfielder Aaron Judge and reliever Fernando Cruz, helped BPF fold clothes. According to Judge, BPF was doing a better job than he was. He was leaning on them to get the packaging right.
“Being a new father now and folding a lot of baby clothes, I get a chance to do this knowing how much [it means to families], especially those in need,” Judge said. “They will have a chance to get a lot of clothes. … They will get a little package like this when they come home. It means the world.”
As Cruz pointed out, he is paid for his results on the baseball field, but he is showing that he is human by helping BPF fold the clothes.
“I think giving back should be the ultimate thing for athletes. It’s just an amazing thing,” Cruz said. “We came to give them hope, but this gives us hope … with love and to be able to appreciate the moment with those guys. It makes our day lighter.”
Donations of clothing, shoes, accessories, toys and books come from a slew of Nassau County mothers’ groups and from clothing drives at local middle schools and high schools. Additionally, retailers such as TJ Maxx and Target contribute clearance items.
The logistics of the operation are astounding, but it’s not something that anyone at Love, Nana dwells on.
Originally based out of Hyland’s Malverne, N.Y., basement, the nonprofit took on the name Love, Nana for the sign-off Hyland uses on every birthday card she sends to her grandchildren.
The gift bundles are meticulously compiled. All items are washed and inspected. Clothing cannot have stains or be missing snaps or buttons. If items don’t look like a gift, they don’t get redistributed.
Within two years, the ever-expanding scope of her efforts necessitated a dedicated workspace, and the organization took over a Rockville Centre storefront.
“I’m extremely lucky. I have a village behind me,” said Hyland, a retired registered nurse. “I’m proud of what we do.”
Each year, Love, Nana donates approximately 2,000 bundles – color-coordinated packages of gently used or brand-new clothes and accessories for infants and toddlers up to 24 months. They are provided to nonprofits in Nassau and Suffolk counties and Queens. Bundles also reach other parts of the New York Metropolitan area, through Mount Sinai Family and Community Services and the Bowery Mission in Manhattan. Bundles have also been gifted to the Refugee Resettlement Program of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood, who look after Ukrainian refugees who have come to the U.S. with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“These people have come with very little,” said St. Joseph’s Job Development Specialist Dorothy Crowley. “They are so far from home, and their lives have been turned upside down. The bundles make such an impact, and the refugees are so appreciative.”
Hyland’s daughter, Christine Daly, 60, explained what she and her siblings were taught as children: “If there was a need somewhere, we were taught to just fill it.”