Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon kept the holiday spirit alive with the giveaway of toys and pajamas to hundreds of families as part of his office’s START program. The Sheriff partnered with Toys for Tots, EJ’s PJs, Keith Caputo’s Helping Makes U Happy, Starbucks, and the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers in putting a smile on the faces of dozens of children.
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Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon, third from left, joins his deputies and the volunteers who made the START Toy Drive and PJ Giveaway a success. File Photo
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Helping out at the giveaway was Patricia Poggie of EJ’s PJ’s, who’s been distributing pajamas to needy kids for the last 13 years. Starting at her Centereach home, where she gave away 34 pairs the first year, Poggie and her family, Edward, Jeremy, and Patrick give out more than 10,000 PJs made possible through donations from local companies and businesses. Also chipping in were Keith Caputo and his mom, Cassie, who host various fundraisers and community service projects every year, events that “involve community participation as we strive to be family-friendly and provide positive volunteering experiences for anyone who wants to participate,” Keith said.
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The Sheriff's Transition and Reentry Team (S.T.A.R.T.) opened its doors in 2020 with the goal of facilitating the successful reentry of justice-involved individuals with the hope of reducing recidivism. “Needs such as substance abuse treatment, education, job assistance, DSS assistance, identification issues, transportation, food, housing, and clothing are all addressed,” Toulon explained. It is important to establish a discharge plan for the individual's successful reentry into the community, he said, and provide support for them and their families.
Upon discharge from jail, individuals visit the SMART Resource Center where all the needs identified by counselors are addressed by the staff and the many service providers. At this time, the warm hand-off to the community begins, and lines of communication are established for follow-up care. The Resource Center continues to remain available post-incarceration for follow-up assistance in the hopes of continued success, according to the Sheriff.
