Thanks to the generous support of community members and charitable organizations, Operation Elf was able to provide holiday gifts to children with a parent incarcerated in Alexandria.

This annual giving program ensures that children who have a parent being held at the Adult Detention Center will receive toys, games, gift cards, books, and other holiday gifts. Each year Inmate Services team members ask inmates if they want to participate and get information, like age and gender, about their children.

Staff then select gifts, pack them up in a decorative bag, and arrange for a family member or guardian to pick up the gifts the week before Christmas. Thanks to donations from Chaplain Myron Contee and Second Chance Ministries, ten families also received full holiday meal baskets.

In addition, Operation Elf helps provide gifts to families with a member in Perfect, Inc., and Together We Bake, programs that empower underserved and formerly incarcerated women through workforce training and personal development.

In total, more than 200 children and 75 families will benefit from Operation Elf this holiday season. Programs like Operation Elf help keep families connected during the holidays and encourage a smoother transition when a parent does return to the community.

This is only possible thanks to generous donations of toys, gift cards and funds from community members and organizations like Toys for Tots and The Capital Christmas Group. Sheriff Sean Casey and the entire Sheriff’s Office family would like to thank everyone who donated to Operation Elf and shared the spirit of the holiday season!