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| Ministry volunteers for children |
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| Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 01 December 2007 | |
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At a glance
For the past 12 years, Angel Tree Prison Ministry Fellowship has hosted Christmas parties for children in Stanislaus County whose parents are in jail. This year, though, instead of throwing a party, organizers will deliver gifts individually from Friday through Dec. 14, going from house to house and visiting with local families. Of the 303 children in the county who will be helped, a quarter of them live in Patterson, and home visits would be more comfortable for them to help maintain anonymity, organizers said. Children from infants to age 17 will receive gifts from donors who buy toys and clothes in the name of the incarcerated parent. Locals from area churches, businesses and service groups have taken gift tags to buy presents for the kids. 
Organizer Julie Bristow, who has worked for the ministry since its beginning, explained the reasoning behind the new setup. “I think as a community that we can reach out to these kids that live right here in town,” Bristow said. Donors who wish to provide gifts for the Angel Tree ministry can pick up angel-shaped tags at local businesses or churches. Each tag has a child’s name, age, gender and clothing size. One tag lists a gift the child wants and the other lists a gift the child needs. Residents then shop for the child, wrap the gifts and attach the tags to the outside of the gift. The presents are supposed to be from the child’s incarcerated parent, so the shoppers do not identify themselves. Bristow and an army of volunteers then plan to deliver the gifts, going to children’s homes over the course of the week. Local folks come forth Kim Garro, owner of ESM Cable Corp. in Patterson, has worked with Bristow on the Angel Tree project since it was started. “I started helping back when we attended New Hope Church,” Garro said. “I helped make the quillows (pillow/sleeping bag combination) and make the presents and made sure every kid’s name was picked by someone.” When all is said and done, Bristow sits down and writes a note to each one of the prisoners whose kids were helped and encloses a photo of the child with Santa Claus. “I love writing the notes,” Bristow said. ‘That’s my thing — I just love it.” Inmates who participate in Angel Tree Prison Ministry Fellowship must follow guidelines and meet with a chaplain, sign up their children, complete a Bible study, and write messages to their children. In addition, there must be no court order barring the participating prisoners from contacting their children. Angel Tree has helped more than 6 million children across the United States since it was founded in 1982. To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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