“Christmas Behind Bars” Project Creates 6,300 Packages for Inmates
25 November 2024|
On Oct. 27, over 500 Andrews University students, faculty, and community members gathered on campus for the third annual “Christmas Behind Bars” service event. During the project, volunteers packed thousands of gift bags with snacks, uplifting books, and messages of encouragement for incarcerated individuals. Participants assembled over 6,300 packages for inmates across Nebraska’s state prisons to bring the Christmas spirit to those behind bars.
“Christmas Behind Bars” originated through founder Lemuel Vega’s personal history with addiction and incarceration. While Vega was in the hospital, an Adventist pastor visited his room and introduced him to God. Vega shared, “I got down on my knees and said, ‘Dear Jesus, please help me. I want to quit, but I can’t.’”
That prayer led to a new lease on life and the beginning of the project. The project had its challenges in its early years. Vega’s grocery business, which ran out of a van, was the only contribution funding the first 350 packages for inmates in a local county jail. Vega recalls one prison warden who refused to allow the packages, yet after dedicated prayer, a new warden took over and the ministry could increase. Over three decades, “Christmas Behind Bars” has become a nationwide initiative dependent solely on individual volunteers and contributions.
The initiative has expanded past Christmas to fall fests giving Bibles to women’s prisons, with Andrews students and faculty anticipating the annual event. “Christmas Behind Bars” has seen support and funding from countless Adventist organizations such as the North American Division’s Compass Fund, campus ministries, and local churches.
The outpouring of support reflects the positive impact of the project on those volunteering and its recipients. Through “Christmas Behind Bars,” incarcerated individuals are reminded that they are not forgotten this holiday season through personal messages, scriptures, and hope-filled tokens of faith.
