While a picture-perfect Christmas involves spending time with family, the unfortunate truth is that 1 in 28 children will celebrate the holiday season with one or both parents behind bars. Incarceration affects everyone—not just the person who is in the correctional facility.
The Prison Fellowship works to see lives and communities transformed in and out of prison. For almost four decades, Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program has ministered children of incarcerated parents year-round with mentoring, camps, sports clinics, and a Christmas gift program.
Since the inception of Angel Tree Christmas in 1982, Prison Fellowship has delivered more than 11 million Christmas gifts and personalized messages to children of incarcerated parents across the United States.
“The holiday season is a time of joy and magic, especially for young children,” said Deb Alderson, GTL President & CEO. “The absence of one or both parents during the year is difficult, but the pain is even more acute during the holidays. We sponsored 49 families, for a total of 101 children, through the Angel Tree program. We hope the gifts and messages brought smiles to every child’s face.”
The Angel Tree program is not just about gifts—it is focused on messages of love and restoration with the hope that relationships can be mended after incarceration has ended. For more information, visit https://www.prisonfellowship.org/about/angel-tree/angel-tree-christmas/.