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Four years after losing her mother, Alicia Italiano is still figuring out what to do with the grief.
This year, part of the answer came in the form of 50 bouquets, 14 single moms and nearly $5,000 in community support.
Italiano, a Long Island school social worker and therapist, created Deb’s Day in memory of her mother, Debi, a single mom and longtime waitress whom she remembers as loud, loving and someone who made the people around her feel safe and cared for.
After Debi died in 2021, Italiano began marking her mother’s Aug. 22 birthday by handing out flowers as a simple act of kindness. What started as a personal family tradition has since grown into a community effort, with this year’s Deb’s Day held Aug. 22 in downtown Port Jefferson near the harbor.
“As a therapist, supporting people through grief and also navigating my own grief, I’m just sharing the love and trying to help people,” Italiano said.
This year, the effort provided $4,900 in assistance and donated experiences to 14 single mothers raising a combined 23 children. Eleven local businesses contributed $2,850 worth of experiences and services for the moms and their families.
Another $2,050 was raised as direct financial assistance, including $500 matched by Italiano’s business, The Nest in East Setauket. Community members also sponsored 50 floral bouquets, each in honor of a loved one they had lost or wanted to celebrate.
Those names traveled with the flowers. Each bouquet included a custom tag bearing the name of the person being honored before it was handed to a local mom on Deb’s Day.
“The most important part of this event is the heart behind it,” Italiano said. “Every single one of our 50 floral bouquets was sponsored by someone in the community in honor of a loved one they’ve lost or want to celebrate.”
Local businesses from across Long Island donated everything from meals and family outings to wellness experiences, personal services and other gifts. A photographer also volunteered to document the day, while Bri-utiful Blooms of Ronkonkoma donated the 50 bouquets.
For Italiano, the hope is that Deb’s Day can continue growing beyond one August afternoon. She ultimately wants to establish a nonprofit capable of helping single mothers and families throughout the year.
For now, she is taking it one step at a time — turning the grief of losing one mom into a way of showing up for others.
“For Debi. For love. For moms,” Italiano said of the mission behind Deb’s Day.
Top: Alicia Italiano and Steve Italiano (Credit: Jenn Miller LI Photography, courtesy)
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