The Safe Center in Bethpage has partnered once again with Supplies for Success, based in Sagaponack, to prepare nearly 200 backpacks for children who are receiving services, including counseling and advocacy for domestic abuse, child abuse, and other forms of interpersonal violence.
For the past few years, Supplies for Success and The Safe Center have collaborated to distribute backpacks and other materials to children and families served by The Safe Center. In the nearly 20 years of the program, Supplies for Success has distributed backpacks and other materials to more than 261,000 children.
“For people living in poverty, educational supplies are a luxury they simply can’t afford. The pandemic and inflation made it worse,” Mindy Richtenstein, founder and president of Supplies for Success, said. “We love joining forces to help broaden our shared mission to enhance the lives of our communities’ young people in need.”
Debbie Lyons, associate executive director of The Safe Center, added, “The families we serve are in the midst of healing from trauma and rebuilding their lives. When we can remove the financial burden of school supplies, we make a tremendous impact. No parent should have to choose between paying rent or getting to equip their child with the tools to succeed in school.”
Lyons said that both organizations worked tirelessly to prepare all the backpacks before the new school year. She emphasized the importance of students being able to start the year on the right foot alongside peers. Packs are presented to families when they come in for an appointment with The Safe Center or brought to families during a home visit.
“The gift of not having to worry about school supplies, for their children to go to school with the folders they want, with the markers they need, removing that pressure from families as they’re going through the experience of meeting with investigators, going to court, to doctors, has been such a gift,” Lyons said. “Also, being able to provide brand new things [versus gently used things] that are yours, when the rest of your life is in chaos, has been a really great outcome of our partnership [with Supplies for Success].”
Lyons said some bags are also kept around after the school year starts in case families find their way to The Safe Center later in the year.
According to Lyons, the response to the backpack distribution has been overwhelmingly positive and reminded her of the importance of her work and that of The Safe Center and Supplies for Success.
“One of the things I’ve learned while working with our clients here is how humble they are. It is incredibly difficult to be going through this situation as it is, and many of us – just as humans – have a hard time asking for help. It’s been great not having to wait for them to ask for that help, we can just offer it. It removes the [stress] for [these families] to figure out if we’re a safe place to ask for help,” she said.
The hesitancy in asking for help is made worse by the taboo nature of domestic violence. But, Lyons said, being able to bring light to kids makes it all worthwhile.
“The families seem grateful for it; the kids love it, and it’s very exciting for them. That brand-new backpack and those brightly colored folders give them that sense of excitement when everything else might feel very confusing and heavy. It reminds them that they have some really positive things coming in their future too.”
Lyons continued, “Thanks to our partners at Supplies for Success the families we serve are able to take another step toward a thriving life in the aftermath of abuse. We know we’re making a profound impact on these children’s education and empowering them for a brighter future.”
Readers interested in learning more about The Safe Center can visit https://thesafecenterli.org/ For more information on Supplies for Success, please visit https://www.suppliesforsuccess.org/
