Farmingdale Boy, 6, Raises $2K For Hospital With Painted Shells

FARMINGDALE, NY — A Farmingdale boy became a painted-shell merchant to raise funds for the hospital that cared for his baby brother.

In November, the Hoffman family found out their son, Owen, then 7 months old, has a congenital heart defect that can cause tachycardia, Mike Hoffman, the father, told Patch. Owen, now 17 months, has been to the emergency room three times. Dylan, 6, was so inspired by the care Owen received at the Child Life program at NYU Winthrop’s Children’s Hospital, he wanted to give back. Thus, Dylan's Shell Shop was born.

"I’m happy to help," Dylan said. "Thank you [to the hospital staff]."

Once the hospital was aware of Dylan's aspirations, it provided the family a wish list of items: from mobiles and play mats to games and toys.

At first, Dylan considered a lemonade stand. But after collecting over 170 shells at a beach, he made a shell shop on his home's driveway. Dylan and his mom, Danielle, got to painting. Together, shells bearing designs of polka dots, pumpkins, the American flag, hearts, starfish and more were crafted.

Those who stopped buy could pay whatever they wanted for a shell. As of Thursday, nearly $2,000 has been raised — clearing the hospital's entire wish list.

His parents are thrilled with Dylan's accomplishments.

"He came up with the idea," Mike Hoffman said. "He really wanted to help the hospital. That alone, we were very proud of. He collected all the shells. He and my wife painted. We’re very proud of him."

While the physical shop was out for one day, people who would like to pick up a shell can contact the family at michael.hoffman@gmail.com to make arrangements. There are 60 shells left, Mike said.

Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so with cash, or through PayPal or Venmo. The PayPal link is here, while the Venmo is @Litbearcat.

This isn't the first time Dylan has given back. When the COVID-19 outbreak began, Dylan, Mike and Danielle collected rocks. Dylan painted the rocks and placed them throughout the community.

Photos