Volunteers prepare 'release bags' for women released from prison at White Plains church

Volunteers were hard at work Sunday at the Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains filling canvas "release bags" with items for women who are being released from the Bedford and Taconic state prisons.

News 12 Staff

Dec 12, 2021, 9:24 PM

Updated 1,028 days ago

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Volunteers were hard at work Sunday at the Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains filling canvas "release bags" with items for women who are being released from the Bedford and Taconic state prisons.
Some of the items in the bags include bars of soap, wash clothes, hair supplies, facial products and more.
"When women are released from prison, what they're given holds their belongings, a small amount of money, a bus ticket and a trash bag," said Rev. Siobhan Sargent Faustino.
Organizers say that on average, 30 female inmates are released from prison each month. The plan is to help as many of them as possible.
Volunteers shared with News 12 that something as simple as a comb can be so important for women who were recently released from prison.
Faustino also shared that they really wanted to give back a sense of human dignity to someone who's re-entering society.
The program began last summer and has helped about 60 women. It has since evolved into a cooperative effort between six local churches in the Hudson Valley.