NEW YORK — Fashion designer Danielle Bernstein recently handed out gift cards to strangers in Union Square Park.

What You Need To Know

  • Danielle Bernstein started WeGaveWhat in the pandemic, the charitable arm of her blog WeWoreWhat

  • She started WeGaveWhat with the help of a follower on social media that is now the CEO of WeGaveWhat

  • WeGaveWhat has raised money and gathered supplies for businesses and organizations in need

  • They plan to continue their efforts as the city reopens

"Today we are doing WeGaveWhat Random Acts of Kindness," said Bernstein, co-founder and president of WeGaveWhat.

When the pandemic hit, Bernstein, known for her blog WeWoreWhat, called on her 2.6 million followers to help various small businesses and organizations survive.

“We are giving these small businesses and organizations exposure to a large audience that really cares and wants to engage with them," Bernstein said.

Bernstein’s work caught the attention of Alex Bushman. She direct messaged Bernstein on Instagram.

"In March 2020, I was working for a small catering company called Eat Off Beat, which is a refugee- and immigrant-run catering company," said Bushman, CEO and co-founder of WeGaveWhat. "We lost 100% of our orders for months on end. He [Danielle Bernstein] posted about Eat Off Beat and in hours we had hundreds of followers and tons of orders and it kept us alive."

That early success at the height of the pandemic inspired them to start the nonprofit, WeGaveWhat.

"We are actually able to make such a big difference in these small businesses and organizations to either keep them afloat or to raise a lot of money or supplies," Bernstein said.

WeGaveWhat posted this video for its one-year anniversary. It highlights some of its accomplishments, including more than $70,000 donated to The River Fund New York, an organization that fights hunger, homelessness and poverty, which is based in Queens. Ten thousand dollars of that is from Danielle’s swimwear launch.

"I have a responsibility with the platform I have grown, to use that platform to give back to help others so I really felt during the pandemic I had this new found sense of responsibility that WeWoreWhat is more than what to wear, where to eat and travel," Bernstein said.

On this particular day, Larry Mason was thrilled to get a MetroCard.

"I need this. I can't afford to ride the trains," Mason said.

The co-founders said they look forward to the future.

"We're picking up the pace and working harder than ever," Bernstein said.