The year 2020 has been difficult for everyone, and it’s hard when a loved one is justice-involved or incarcerated, especially during the holidays. That’s why this holiday season, GEO Reentry’s New Jersey Alumni Services members volunteered for two charitable events: the 2020 Northern New Jersey Annual Thanksgiving Community Giveback and the Annual Community Holiday Giveback.
In giving back to their community, alumni members — all previous GEO Reentry participants who completed their program commitments — joined together to help families of current residents at New Jersey GEO Reentry Services centers.
In November, New Jersey alumna Tia R., who is now employed with All of Us or None, a nonprofit that works with currently or formerly incarcerated people and their families, coordinated a Thanksgiving food donation drive. The families of 20 current residents at GEO Reentry’s residential reentry centers received large baskets filled with Thanksgiving foods. Alumni members donated food and helped fill, wrap and decorate the baskets, and Ms. R. delivered them to families.
Then, in December, alumni members gathered toys and gifts to donate to children with parents residing at one of New Jersey’s GEO Reentry centers. Children of residents at Bo Robinson’s Women’s Unit, Delaney Hall’s Women’s Unit, Tully House and Delaney Hall Parole all benefited from the toy drive.
“I’m very proud of all our members who give so generously for the holidays to those in need,” said New Jersey Alumni Services Coordinator Arthur Townes. “We also hope to carry the message that reentry services work, life can get better and giving back to the community is meaningful.”
GEO Reentry Alumni Services is a local network of former program participants that offers program alumni access to community resources, prosocial activities and the opportunity to mentor current participants and share information relevant to the reentry process.
Alumni members often participate in local volunteer initiatives to contribute to the community, such as coat drives, toy drives and collecting for local food banks.