Charity works to provide Christmas for children of Utah inmates

SALT LAKE CITY — A group of volunteers is working to help children with parents behind bars have a somewhat normal Christmas this year.

The Utah Prisoner Advocate Network was formed in 2013 to help families navigate life while a parent serves out a sentence. In 2024, it had an idea to help kids that advocates say are often forgotten.

"I think there's a feeling that if someone went to prison, and they did something bad to get there, and so they deserve it," network co-founder and director Molly Prince said. "But the children didn't do that. The family that's left behind didn't do that."

The Utah Prisoner Advocate Network made the offer with a program called All Hearts Come Home for the Holidays. The response was much larger than anticipated, with parents asking for help for more than 300 kids statewide.

Utah Prisoner Advocate Network special projects director Karen Thompson said the letters they received pulled on the heartstrings.

"I couldn't read them without a box of tissues," Thompson said. "They were handwritten by the incarcerated parents, both mothers and fathers. Very heartfelt."

The network is already about halfway to meeting its goal, but the remaining children in need are posted to its website by age, gender, and need. People can anonymously fulfill their Amazon wish lists through the site.

"Really, what this program is about is showing the children that they're not forgotten, that they're loved, and they're valued, especially during a season that's meant for families," Prince said.

Prince is also hopeful that this help and love will make the kids less likely to make their parents' mistakes. She said it may also help motivate inmates to reintegrate and contribute to society once they're done serving their sentence.

If you wish to donate to this program, you can visit the Utah Prisoner Advocate Network's website.

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