Every Child has a Story

For 2.7 million children in the U.S., that story may be filled with the abandonment, loneliness and shame that come from having a mom or dad in prison. For many, it may also include following their parents down the same destructive road to incarceration. Angel Tree®, a program of Prison Fellowship, reaches out to the children of prisoners and their families with the love of Christ. This unique program gives you an opportunity to share God’s love by helping to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.

 

How It Works

Angel Tree is a program of Prison Fellowship that connects parents in prison with their children through the delivery of Christmas gifts. In most cases, local church volunteers purchase and deliver gifts and the Gospel to children in the name of their prisoner-parent.

 

Many churches make an annual commitment to this highly rewarding program, and recognize it as a way to care for some of the most overlooked members of our communities.

 

The Process

• Receive Angel Tree Names:
  Sometime in the fall, Angel Tree coordinators will receive the name, caregiver, and contact information of children who were signed-up by their mom or dad in prison.

• Display Angel Tree Name Tags:
  Angel Tree tags are completed with the name of these children, along with gift suggestions, and are displayed in your church.

• Angel Tree Announcement:
  Church members need to be notified of the program —bulletin, pulpit announcement, bulletin board, etc.—and invited to select names from the Angel Tree display.

• Gift purchase and delivery:
  Church members purchase, wrap, and deliver a gift for each child on behalf of his or her incarcerated parent—and in the process, share the Gospel.

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The Costs

The cost of Angel Tree Christmas is minimal — $30 per child. Included with the children’s information, we will provide a suggested gift type based on what the prisoner picked out using our gift guide. You will confirm with the child’s caregiver that this would be a good gift for the child. This is simply a minimum requirement and churches/volunteers may purchase gift(s) as they are led and see fit.