Stepping Stones Holiday Card Party

Thanks to all the Stepping Stones community for its deep love and support!

We now have 100 on Stepping Stones’ holiday card distribution list. On 10 December 2022, 14 volunteers gathered at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California) to write 164 holiday cards to those in reentry, recovery, and incarceration. We enjoyed sweet treats and each other’s company. Working from multiple printouts of the same list, the most cards written for anyone was 5 (there were 3 of these), and 29 had no cards written. Three people who could not attend the event have volunteered to write cards for all who were missed. 30 of the cards will be posted each day, so as not to overwhelm the jail and prison staff who have to check all incoming mail.

Some guidance for writing holiday cards to prisoners:

• Prisoners move do move locations, so verify all names and addresses. Here are two websites we used:
  • Santa Clara County Inmate Finder
  • California CDCR Inmate Locator
• When picking cards, Think Plain! No glitter, foil, stickers (including return address stickers), tape, scented cards or padded envelopes – these will be discarded by the jail or prison administration
• Cards must be smaller than 5″x7″
• Avoid card messages like “home for the holidays”
• Hand write the mailing and return address, or use a wet stamp (not a sticker)
• Do not disclose any personal info, just sign the card, and if you wish write a brief sentiment like: thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers, keep the faith, you’re never alone. If you want to jot down more, stick with neutral topics like weather, nature, food, pets.
• Thank you for your generous support of our incarcerated neighbors!