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Citarella Raises $152,475 for East End Children
The 2026 campaign brought the East End Fund for Children and Citarella’s fundraising partnership to more than $736,000, supporting eight local nonprofits serving children and families.
Summer out east has its own energy. Sun stays up late, and farm stands are bustling well past dinnertime. Restaurants get slammed, grocery store lines wrap around the aisles, and everyone from weekenders to city escapees crashes through a scene that, for locals, never really winds down.
But for Citarella and the East End Fund for Children, summer’s more than a season of rosé and beach traffic—it’s prime time to fuel the work of hometown nonprofits. On September 29, inside Citarella’s East Hampton shop, staffers traded their aprons for the role of cheerleaders as the company and the Fund closed out their 2026 fundraising campaign with more than $152,000 collected over just a few months — every cent headed straight to eight organizations supporting kids and families in these communities.
Put all the summers together, and this collaboration has now delivered $736,000. That’s not just charity cocktail party money, it’s everyday folks digging deep at the checkout lane. Nearly all of it — $146,704 and change — came from Citarella customers who said “Sure, round me up” when paying for bagels, berries, or steaks. The classic reusable tote, emblazoned with Citarella’s logo, chipped in another $5,700.
That’s real cash creating actual change. At the September gathering, representatives and kids from all eight nonprofits were there: Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, Children’s Museum of the East End, Camp Good Grief, Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center, i-tri, Project MOST, The Retreat, and Southampton Youth Association, along with Citarella managers, store staffers, and a handful of regular customers who helped push that number higher.
Everyone knows there’s no single definition of “need” out east. Some parents rely on affordable childcare or after-school options, while others face sudden food insecurity, struggle with grief, or just need a trustworthy place for their kids. All eight groups under the East End Fund umbrella are wired into their communities and, together, reach more than 3,500 kids every week. That’s everything from healthy snacks to therapy sessions.
Citarella’s role? Year after year, the stores from Westhampton Beach to Bridgehampton keep this campaign humming and are a familiar part of summer shopping. And the people behind the bakery counter, the ones ringing up groceries or restocking shelves, were also out front boosting the campaign, nudging donations, handing out tote bags, and explaining where that extra dollar actually goes.
As the last visitors left town, the Fund’s member organizations kept going quietly, steadily, and long after summer fades. Because these families’ needs don’t take a season off.
