Hope in a package: Prison ministry distributing holiday gifts to inmates
Courtesy of Mike Pierson
Inmates and staff at the Washington County jail will be receiving a little Christmas “hope” this season.
It will come in the form of “Hope Packs,” a special package consisting of many Christmas goodies to be delivered to about 350 inmates and 70 staff members.
“Hope Packs” is a program through Richmond, Va.-based Good News Global, formerly Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, which is in its third year.
Washington County is one of only two prisons across the state that is participating. The other is in York.
“One of the things Good News Global does is help us to arrange for a bag of different items for every single incarcerated person in here and staff at Christmas time,” said Mike Pierson, jail chaplain. “We raise money for that through individuals and churches that want to contribute money so that we can provide those for everybody. The Hope Packs have been delivered for the past three years, but before that we worked with a church in town that provided bags with some goodies in them.”
The packages for Washington County inmates are expected to contain candy, hygiene items such as toothpaste and deodorant, a Christmas card from Good News Global, two blank Christmas cards for inmates to send and the Armor book to help challenge their minds, compiled with the help of contributions from current and former inmates.
“They’ll write chapters of the book, they’ll write poems, crossword puzzles, things that occupy people’s time with fun things to do, but also have meaningful, life-changing information,” Pierson said.
Pierson is a chaplain with Good News Global who has been with the Washington County jail for about seven years. He knows the sorrow of having a family member incarcerated.
“I kind of have a personal connection to knowing what it’s like to miss someone during the holidays, to care about somebody who’s incarcerated at this time of year,” Pierson said. “I kind of come at it from that angle as well, which has helped me to empathize with what some of the men and women here are going through.”
This year’s Hope Packs are scheduled to be delivered to the county jail on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It helps somebody who’s incarcerated to know that they’re not forgotten,” Pierson said. “There are churches and individuals out there that still care about them, that realize that this is a tough place to be during the holidays. There’s people who want to bring some light to the darkness of being incarcerated during a holiday.”
Throughout the month, Good News Global will hand deliver 65,000 Hope Packs to men and women behind bars in 18 states and 20 countries. The packs are assembled by volunteers, including people in local churches and jail administrators within the locations of the 150 jails and prisons.
“Hope Packs represent our greatest outreach to incarcerated persons ever,” said Jon Evans, president of Good News Global. “This Christmas, we will put hope in the hands of 65,000 receptive inmates. We believe that everyone has inherent worth in the eyes of God, and Hope Packs is a practical and tangible way to demonstrate that to the inmates and jail and prison staff members.”
Financial contributions still are needed. Anyone wishing to make a contribution may do so at gnglobal.org/churches-give-hope/.