Liz Stokes: Public Servant of the Year 0 comments below
Riverhead Free Library circulation director Liz Stokes (center) in the Open Arms food pantry at First Baptist Church with Shirley Coverdale (left) and Riverhead Town administration assistant Trina Casiel.
What stands out is her activities beyond normal library duties. Four years ago, she organized an annual food drive at the library that has grown each year since; she's active in the Council for Unity, a group that seeks to steer young people away from gangs and crime; she helps recently released inmates from the nearby county jail find jobs; and she's often seen talking to children outside the library, with the focus of trying to keep Riverhead's youth on the right track in life.
"You couldn't have picked a better person," said Bob DeSena, founder of Council for Unity. "She is unrelenting. She's the chairperson of the Riverhead Council for Unity's Adult and Community Partnership and she's recruited people into the program from all walks of life.
"She also works with the Council for Unity program in the jail, where she visits prisoners, and has helped get jobs for some gang members and parolees with the hope that they will stay out of trouble when they are released."
Ms. Stokes was instrumental in organizing the annual Council for Unity induction dinner, where students from Riverhead schools are formally inducted into the council.
She also organizes the library's annual Food for Fines program, established four years ago, in which library fines are forgiven for people who donate nonperishable food items to local food pantries. Originally, the program was conducted for two weeks in November. This year, it continued for the entire month and included the help of town government and school officials, as well as people from other local organizations.
More than 4,000 items were donated in Food for Fines' first three years. Some 5,850 were donated this year.
"Liz Stokes is a wonderful asset to the Riverhead Free Library and to the community at large," said library director Lisa Jacobs. "The good of the community is always at the forefront of her mind. She is dedicated to making Riverhead the best it can be. Her ideas range from helping to stock food pantries to improving the safety of residents to getting teens involved in meaningful ways, and so much more.
"We are all so lucky to have her in our lives."
Tim Gannon
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