Food For The Poor Organizes Prisoner Releases for Nonviolent Offenders

[struggle4progress]

12/1/2009 - 2:15 PM PST
Catholic PRWire

... In November, parishioners from Church of the Nativity, Burke, Va. and St. Michael Church, Canfield, Ohio, traveled to Haiti with Food For The Poor to feed the hungry, bring water to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned and to follow the Gospel call to serve the poor ...

The group distributed shoes and warm meals to approximately 563 inmates, and Food For The Poor arranged the release of four young men who had committed nonviolent crimes. Their feet were washed, and they were given new shoes, a little money, and walked outside the prison gate ...

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 2000, Food For The Poor has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing approximately 800 persons into the community as productive citizens. The released prisoners were incarcerated for nonviolent crimes, such as stealing food. Food For The Poor works with the prisoners before and after they are released to ensure they will not be repeat offenders.

Prison authorities have found Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program to be so successful that they have implemented a similar program themselves. Some prisons now offer inmates jobs in the prison where they are held so that they can earn money to pay off their fines ...

http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=8250