Pizza Box Top campaign launched in Smithtown

Pizza Box Top campaign launched in Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center and Smithtown Youth Bureau, in conjunction with the National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, recently launched the 6th annual Pizza Box Top campaign at the Town of Smithtown Horizons Center. This youth-led initiative works to educate and change adult attitudes regarding providing or selling alcohol to minors. Seventeen youth volunteers devoted their time to adhering a total of 2,500 prevention stickers to carry-out bags at participating pizzerias.

“This is one of our favorite events because it gives families an opportunity to discuss the importance of preventing underage drinking with the young people in their lives. We hope the underage drinking prevention stickers help to open a dialogue within families to discuss this difficult topic.” – Kelly DeVito – Youth Services Coordinator, Horizons Counseling and Education Center

The seventeen students who participated in this year’s Pizza Box Top event adhered 2,500 prevention messaging stickers on carry-out bags from several local participating Pizzerias including; Mema’s in Commack, Branchinelli’s in Hauppauge, Mama’s Brick Oven in Hauppauge, Gino’s in Kings Park, Monte’s in Smithtown, and Buona Sera in Smithtown. The carry-out bags were branded with colorful prevention stickers which read; “Your Decisions Matter – Preventing underage drinking is everyone’s responsibility.”

Sergeant Carissa Siry from the National Guard Counterdrug Task Force spoke with the volunteers about the Social Host Law, underage drinking, and the dangers of the Internet, prior to this awareness activity. The New York Social Host Law can impose liability on a social host who provides alcohol to a minor, should that minor become intoxicated and cause injury to another person as a result of that intoxication.