Three-year-old Sy’Ryah attended Huber Memorial Church’s Angel Tree party in Baltimore on Dec. 13.
With Christmas just around the corner, thousands of churches throughout the U.S. are busy hosting Angel Tree parties to share gifts and Gospel with local children of prisoners. The children’s faces are lighting up with joy when they hear that their gifts came from their mom or dad in prison because they love them and miss them! And the kids’ caregivers are thankful to Angel Tree supporters for spreading the Christmas cheer.
Just last week, Angel Tree received a thank-you note from a mom named Megan.
She says, “I just wanted to express my gratitude for all that the Angel Tree organization does for the children. My four children received gifts through the Angel Tree program from their father who was incarcerated for seven years. It meant so much to them to receive a gift from their dad who they were only able to see a few times a year. Our local church that sponsored the program did a wonderful job of putting together a lunch and program that comforted both the children and the spouses/families of the prisoners. Thank you for bringing some joy into a very difficult time for these families.”
Angel Tree is touching lives all over the country.
A 5-year-old boy named Sage in Utah is missing his dad who’s been in prison for over four years. But on Christmas Eve, Angel Tree will give him and his two siblings a reminder that their father loves them. Sage remembers his Angel Tree gift from last year’s party: “I got a Transformer shirt from Dad.”
And Cindy Williams, a missions coordinator for her church in Texas, is mailing each incarcerated parent a Christmas card that their child made for them at the church’s Angel Tree party this year. What an amazing way to help moms and dads behind bars feel more connected to their kids this season!
A church Angel Tree coordinator named Bonetta Hudson held an Angel Tree party on Thursday night at the Living Word Church of God. She explains why she serves the families of the incarcerated: “It impacted my kids. My kids are in their 30’s now and they still remember the gifts that they got the two years I was incarcerated. It has a long-lasting effect.”
Thank you to all the Angel Tree partners, volunteers, and supporters who are sharing God’s love with kids in your communities this Christmas season!