Tarrant Co. Sheriff's Office, The Potter's House hold Christmas for Children of the Incarcerated event
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and a local church teamed up to make sure Christmas comes to kids with loved ones behind bars.
Dozens of volunteers and members of the sheriff's department showed up to make sure the kids have a magical holiday.
"It’s just always great and they love seeing the horses," mother Kimberly Bryant said.
It’s the season for giving, and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office and The Potter’s House Fort Worth are on a mission to leave no child left behind.
"We want to take care of them and make sure that they have a Christmas, and also see law enforcement hand out, not like maybe last time when they saw us when mom or dad went to jail," Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said.
The event, Christmas for the children of the incarcerated, started during Sheriff Waybourn’s tenure.
It’s for children who have a parent in jail and are not able to spend time with them this holiday season.
"I’ve seen a lot of tragedy and a lot of hard stories where people have made bad choices and need to be held accountable. They are being held accountable, but their children shouldn’t be punished for the sins of the father, if you will," Waybourn added.
The event had more than 100 volunteers.
Kids were able to see Santa, get their faces painted, and the highlight was to pick out their Christmas toys.
This is the sixth year the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office has partnered with The Potter's House Fort Worth to lift children's spirits.
"We have families who have cried because they received bicycles or skateboards and all kinds of things they thought they would never have," said Campus Pastor Patrick Winfield, with The Potter’s House Fort Worth.
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The event has given out gifts to more than 8,000 children since it began. About 500 kids showed up this year.
"I was just talking to a young man and he was incarcerated last year. So he was talking about how this blessed his children while he was away. The reason why he’s back is because of the blessing that it provided for his family," Winfield said.
The event is extending hope to people who feel hopeless.
"It’s those types of testimonies that afford us the opportunity to continue our impact in the community and to be not just a voice, but to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ," Winfield added.
"Their dad is incarcerated. But this helps out a lot, especially for me being a single mom. I wasn’t going to be able to get my kids anything. So this helps out a lot," Bryant said.
Bryant said 11 of her kids were able to receive gifts. This is her second year attending.
"It makes my kids feel good because at first I was like ,‘Oh man, what am I going to do?’ But yeah, this helped us out a lot," she added.