Giving is easy
Jen Stevenson attaches two telling words to the end of Instagram posts: “Be kind.”
“I believe when you put good out there, it helps to start a wave of positive and that’s what we want to do at the end of the day — we just want to do the right thing,” says the owner of Harborwear Gifts in Stuart, Florida.
Humbly, Stevenson says she prefers to work behind the scenes for efforts like volunteering for a local women’s shelter called Safe Space or spending time at the local Humane Society.
“If anyone ever asks me to donate or give my time, especially if it’s local, I’m never going to say no. Never.” — Jen Stevenson
However, she loves to highlight what friends, customers, followers and community members are doing to make a difference every Friday on the store’s social media. She says, “If someone does something really nice and I read about it or find out about it, I’ll send them something like a T-shirt from our shop.”
Caring in the Community
Stevenson dedicates time to serving a range of local organizations. She has lived in the community most of her life and grown close to causes that help people and animals.
Among the community groups she supports is House of Hope, a shelter for battered women. She also participates in the Kiwanis Club, and when the two area high schools ask for donations, she is all in. “We do all of the hospital’s cancer fundraisers because our shop is right down the street,” Stevenson adds.
In spring, the shop hosted April Showers for Helping People Succeed, giving customers a 10% discount for bringing in diapers, blankets, baby and children’s clothing and toys. “We are all in this together and everyone contributes their piece,” she says.
Making Space for Good Works
Harborwear Gifts is a platform for doing good. Stevenson dedicates a modest space in the shop for local artists who are getting a start and want to get their name out there. For a limited time, she does not charge them to display items. “I just want to help them get on their feet,” she says.
Early in the pandemic, Stevenson brought in her sewing machine and made more than 1,000 masks, giving them away to anyone who stopped in and asked. “They were going so fast I couldn’t make them quickly enough,” she says. Doing something nice for others is her natural instinct. “It’s just easy when you give back,” she says.
