Socks, shampoo, Band-aids: How Buncombe sheriff, faith leaders help recent detainees
ASHEVILLE - Could something as small as a bottle of shampoo or a pair of socks help keep folks out of jail? Not completely, some law enforcement leaders and faith groups say, but they believe those items might just help transitioning out of jail a little easier.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, with help from some local religious leaders, has begun giving people recently released from the county jail small supplies to help them get back on their feet.
The Sheriff’s Office has been offering “care kits” that include basic personal care items like socks, shampoo and washcloths since the start of the new year, spokesperson Aaron Sarver said.
“I’m excited that – even though it’s a small token – it’s saying that the sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office is realizing and not wanting the jail to be the end-all,” said Chaplain Vanessa James.
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James works with inmates at the jail full-time, a position that is provided in partnership with Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministries, a local nonprofit. The ABCCM is also a partner in the care kit initiative.
“This little token is to say there’s a life hereafter,” James said. “We’re hoping this will help jumpstart you so that you don’t have to come back. A lot of people, they come to the jail because they don’t have the basic necessities. … Quite a number of individuals, they need the support for just the simple things to begin with. So, if we can provide them with something simple and guide them in the direction to some agencies that are willing to assist them, then hopefully they will follow through and not have to return.”
With bags labeled with organizations, James hoped they could be a resource for people looking for help even after they got the care items.
The idea for the care kits was brainstormed by Sheriff’s Office staff and faith leaders who took note of what people who are often arrested for low-level offenses are most in need of, James and Sarver said.
Items have been donated from ABCCM, Biltmore Church, Elevation Church and Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, the Sheriff’s Office has said.
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“Those are the kind of four key stakeholders as we talked and brainstormed and went through all kinds of logistics stuff and the rollout,” Sarver said. “I suspect that list of … community organizations participating will grow pretty quickly based on the feedback we’re receiving.”
The initiative, which began around the new year, is at the jail to stay, Sarver said. Every inmate is offered a care kit upon release. About 400 bags were put together initially.
“Hopefully this will grow and evolve,” Sarver said.
“We have a lot of community members who are being booked on, you know, misdemeanor charges, nonviolent misdemeanors, and are going to be in the detention facility for 30 or 45 minutes before they’re released,” he said.
“A lot of these folks, if they’re not homeless, they may be transient. They may be living out of a car, or low income, you know. … I don’t know if we have an exact price tag on the value of those items, but let’s just say conservatively $20 or $30 worth of items. That can be a difference for people who are struggling.”
Ryan Oehrli covers public safety, breaking news and more for the Citizen Times. Questions? Comments? Tips? Send them to coehrli@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe Sheriff: Care kits going to those recently released from jail
