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A holiday toy drive organized by an Asbury Park resident was successful in delivering toys and over $500 in gift cards to a women’s shelter in the city.

Help Not Handcuffs, founded by Randy Thompson [shown above, at left], is a community campaign to decriminalize and de-stigmatize substance use disorders and substance use by highlighting the negative human and financial impacts of failed drug criminalization laws, according to a release from the organization.

Through partnerships with various local business owners and organizations, Help Not Handcuffs delivered one-and-a-half truck loads of toys along with $500 in gift cards to area stores like Target, Toys “R” Us and Shop Rite, to over 30 women and about 15 children at Asbury Park’s Epiphany House on Dec. 22.

Epiphany House serves women recovering from substance use and their children who live with them in the houses Epiphany operates.

“We got tons of toys,” Thompson told the Sun Wednesday, “and the gift cards help provide a sense of normalcy to people who could go shop for their own food and toys.”

The Holiday Drive was organized for two purposes, Thompson said. To send a message to people recovering that the broader community cares about them as they overcome their challenge, and to highlight that many people who suffer from substance abuse disorders are not able to receive necessary recovery supports or treatment due to failed criminalization laws.

Those who suffer from substance use disorders are stigmatized, shamed and criminalized unlike others who suffer from equitable mental or physical health disorders, and criminalization laws squander very limited resources and do not deter drug use or distribution, he said.

Right now Help Not Handcuffs is just an advocacy campaign, but Thompson is researching whether it makes sense to seek nonprofit status.  At the moment, he is pleased to be able to do the work to further inform local and state administrations that substance abuse should be treated as a public health problem rather than a criminal activity, and that many times substance abusers want to end the cycle of abuse.

“People are dying while they beg for help, and more often than not they can’t get it,” he said.

Partnering with Help Not Handcuffs were several local businesses and other community and/or recovery groups, including Warn Things Comedy Show at The Saint, Shop Rite of Neptune, Retro Fitness of Neptune, Neptune Police Department, The Center for Recovery Education and Success [CARES], Roots to Addiction, The Monmouth Rugby Club, People’s Transport, Pop’s Bagels, WRAT 94.3 FM, and Fun 107.1 FM.

For more information or to inquire about future volunteer opportunities, visit the Help Not Handcuffs Facebook page. 

Photo at top, from left to right, Randy Thompson, Help Not Handcuffs campaign founder; Katie Tomasso, director, Epiphany House; and Andrew Gibson, Help Not Handcuffs volunteer, on donation drop-off day. Photo provided courtesy of Randy Thompson.

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