Food For The Poor pays for release of 242 prisoners

This Christmas, 242 non-violent prisoners will experience the joy of freedom, all thanks to Food For The Poor (FFTP) and the compassionate donors who have steadfastly supported the charity's prison ministry programme.

In Jamaica, four prisoners were released from the St Catherine District Prison on December 13 after FFTP paid their fines, totalling nearly $350,000. One of the men, Steve Sanderson, had been locked away since October 4, when he began serving a nine-month sentence because he could not afford to pay the alternative punishment of a $200,000 fine.

"This is the best Christmas gift," he said.

FFTP president and CEO Ed Raine said the prison ministry programme is not just about paying fines, but also about "restoring hope and offering a path to redemption for those who have made mistakes".

For over two decades, FFTP has been committed to transforming lives and fostering hope by facilitating the release of non-violent offenders, providing them a second chance to rebuild their lives. The charitable organisation pays for fines twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, for the release of prisoners. Each newly freed person received a food package and travel money to return home.

Sanderson, a 47-year-old operator of an aluminium fabrication business, was convicted of fraudulent conversion after failing to return the 50 per cent deposit collected from a customer who changed her mind about the job she hired him to do.

"I prayed about this moment from the first night I spent here," he said.

"It was on the concrete. I woke up like every 20 minutes. Your hand is your pillar. The floor is cold, and you are wondering about your safety. That sleepless night brings you to a point where you must pray. Prayer works," he added.

The former inmate said he is happy to be reunited with his family and to get back to earning an honest living.

"I am going back to complete the unfinished jobs I had out there," he said. "My children are my motivation."