SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, Dec. 16, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Female inmates at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on Wednesday began receiving the annual gift of Pillows for Prisoners.
A ceremonial pillow was presented to Sheriff Rosie Rivera earlier this week at the Sheriff’s Administration Building to celebrate the partnership and commemorate the kick-off of pillow delivery.
At the ceremony, Sabrena Suite-Mangum, one of the founding members of the Pillows for Prisoners (P4P) organization said that over the past three years, P4P has raised more than $20,000 for the women at the jail — supplying more than 2,000 pillows for the women incarcerated at Metro.
The 250 pillows purchased on behalf of the organization will be gifted throughout the month of December. This represents the fifth time pillows will be donated en masse to women since the partnership began in 2017.
“This year, an unprecedented pandemic has provided numerous challenges in our communities,” Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said in a prepared statement. “Every holiday season is additionally stressful for those who are incarcerated. I am pleased we can continue our partnership with Pillows for Prisoners for a third year and provide the gift of a pillow for our female inmates.”
Suite-Mangum echoed the sheriff’s sentiments noting this year’s distribution is particularly unique.
P4P raises funds for the project, then the jail purchases the pillows from an approved vendor. Pillows are then taken to the commissary.
In previous years, P4P volunteers worked to get security clearance, then helped distribute the pillows, face-to-face, to inmates. Due to COVID concerns this year, the volunteers were not allowed into the jail, so distribution will be handled by the jail staff over a period of days.
Learn more about the program at www.pillowsforprisoners.org or contact Suite-Mangum at 801-750-8232 for more information.
