Eyes were bright on the children who streamed into a roomful of gifts at the annual holiday giveaway hosted by Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon.
Spreading the joy of toys, shoes, and pajamas was a community effort coordinated by the Sheriff’s START Resource Center with donations by Toys for Tots, Walmart, EJ’s PJs, True North Community Church, and Keith Caputo of Helping Makes You Happy.
Helping out at the giveaway was Patricia Poggi of EJ’s PJs, who’s been distributing pajamas to needy kids for the last 14 years.
Starting at her Centereach home, where she gave away 34 pairs in the first year, Poggi and her family, Edward, Jeremy, and Patrick, gave out more than 10,000 PJs, which were 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.
The Sheriff's Transition and Reentry Team (START) opened its doors in 2020 to facilitate 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.
He said it is important to establish a discharge plan for an individual's successful return to their community and provide support for them and their families.
Upon discharge from jail, individuals visit the SMART Resource Center, where the staff and many service providers address all the needs identified by counselors.
At this time, the warm hand-off to the community begins, and lines of communication are established for follow-up care. According to the sheriff, the Resource Center continues to remain available post-incarceration for follow-up assistance in the hopes of continued success.