[www.inewsguyana.com] – Fifteen non-violent prisoners from various prisons across Guyana who were part of the Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Programme, will be back with their families and friends in time for Christmas following their release on Monday (December 23).
According to ‘Food for the Poor’ these prisoners were confined to prison because of their inability to pay the mandatory fines, even though the amounts in some instances were very small.
This activity which commenced in 2005 is done during the Christmas and Easter seasons; the programme releases inmates who have committed minor offenses.
Food for the Poor’s Prison Ministry Program is based on the scripture, “When was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you, Matthew 25: 31- 46” and is done in several other Caribbean countries.
Since the inception of Food for the Poor’s Prison Ministry Program, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing prisoners back into the community as productive citizens.
As prisoners are released, Food for the Poor representatives and partners pray with them for God’s forgiveness and blessing. Just prior to their release, they are fed a warm meal, given tools, a small stipend and groceries to take home to their families.
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.
