Over 300 Attend Suffolk Sheriff's Back-To-School Giveaway In Yaphank

YAPHANK, NY — Over 300 residents attended the back-to-school giveaway event at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s START Resource Center in Yaphank on Tuesday, officials said.

The START Resource Center helps formerly incarcerated people and their families with connections to reentry support, including services for mental health and drug abuse, assistance with obtaining documentation and employment as well as food, clothing, and more.

Since the program was launched by Sheriff Errol Toulon in 2020, it has seen “tremendous results” with the recidivism rate of those participating landing at nearly half of the state’s average, according to his office

Students who attended received a backpack filled with various school supplies, as well as a pair of pajamas courtesy of EJ’s PJ’s, and a toy donated by the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers. School supplies and backpacks were donated by Walmart, Axis Church, and St. John Nepomucene.