Program needs sponsors to help children with incarcerated parents this Christmas

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Prison Fellowship is a national non-profit organization that assists current and former prisoners throughout the year. It’s mobilizing churches and charitable groups to sponsor children with incarcerated parents for the Angel Tree Program that’s helping bring more holiday cheer to children by providing them gifts.

Jim Forbes, director of communications with Prison Fellowship, said they assigned 8,389 children in Indiana. Sponsored churches and organizations receive handwritten angels that are hung on the Christmas tree. It has the child’s name, gift ideas and a personal message from their parents behind bars. Anyone can take the angel, purchase a gift and deliver both to the child on behalf of their parents.

Logansport Church in Logansport Indiana has been a Angel Tree Program sponsor for three years. Volunteer Anne Edwards said she picked out two angels and that it is pure joy to watch the children receive their gifts.

“This one says, ‘Merry Christmas my beautiful children. Be their for each other and never let anything be as important as your love for each other love dad.’ These aren’t necessarily needy children, but they are children that for whatever reason through absolutely no fault of their own don’t have a parent in the house,” Edwards said.

Edwards mentioned the number of Angel kids are down in Indiana this year as the pandemic has limited access into prisons.

For more information on how you can sponsor an Angel Tree child in your area or would like to help in different ways, call the Angel Tree Program hotline at 1-800-55-ANGEL (26435).