Children visiting LI correctional facility receive holiday gifts
A table brimming with toys greeted children leaving visiting hours outside of the Yaphank Correctional Facility on Friday.
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Children visiting correctional facilities across Long Island received some extra holiday cheer Friday.
A table brimming with toys greeted children leaving visiting hours outside of the Yaphank Correctional Facility on Friday.
The initiative was led by New Hour, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, their children, and families.
The toys were donated by community members, legal aid organizations, and churches, with more than 50 volunteers helping bring the events to life.
New Hour estimates 2,000 toys will be given out across Long Island during the weeklong event.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. shared the impact of the program.
"You can see the joy in the children's faces of just receiving a toy. Maybe they would not have received a gift during Christmas," he said.
Serena Martin-Liguori, executive director of New Hour, emphasized the importance of the event.
"We want people to understand that if you have a loved one who is incarcerated or if you are a child visiting a parent, that you shouldn't be ashamed. There's no stigma, and there are plenty of toys and support for you," said Martin-Liguori.
Adding to the festivities, the Suffolk Cooperative Library System brought its decorated Livebrary bus, offering coloring books and crayons to children in Yaphank on Friday and in Riverhead on Saturday.
