Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Sabrena Suite-Mangum founded Pillows for Prisoners after her sister's incarceration.
- The nonprofit provides pillows and gift bags to women in the Salt Lake County Jail.
- They distributed 400 pillows this year and plan a Mother's Day event in 2026.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman who visited her sister in the Salt Lake County Jail walked away with an idea to give back to those who are struggling.
"The first thing she asked for when she was booked was a pillow," said Sabrena Suite-Mangum.
Her experience with her sister, Celeste, a sexual assault survivor who started self-medicating with drugs and alcohol, encouraged her to create Pillows for Prisoners in 2017. The nonprofit donates pillows to incarcerated women.
"The lieutenant who was in charge of the commissary at the time kinda looked at us like 'first of all, slow down,'" Suite-Mangum said. "I said, 'No, we actually want to buy all the women pillows.'"
This year, they handed out 400 pillows to inmates at the Salt Lake County Jail, and thanks to a grant from the JNF foundation, gift bags. She says it's about giving these women hope for a better future, and she's grateful the community is showing them some love.
"This doesn't have to be your path. We believe in everyone's humanity, and my sister did it, and so can you. So it's been pretty amazing," Suite-Mangum said.
The nonprofit had single packages of cereal that they couldn't include in the gift bags at the jail. So, they gifted them to Lincoln Elementary, a Title 1 school in the Granite School District.
If you would like to support the cause with a financial donation* of $11 or by volunteering, you can visit Pillows for Prisoners' website.
The organization is planning for its Mother's Day Distribution for 2026.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
