Florida inmates make Christmas toys for low-income families

POLK CITY, Fla. — Who knew that some of Santa’s elves worked behind bars?

With a week to go before Christmas, inmates at a Florida prison continue to hammer out handmade wooden toys for children.

The Polk Correctional Institution in Central Florida has a toy lab, and hundreds of inmates have been working together to create thousands of toys for low-income families, BayNews9 reported.

Polk County Correctional Facility has a toy lab where hundreds of inmates have worked together to produce thousands of handmade wooden toys for kids. https://t.co/0KQhjYLBGP
— Spectrum Bay News 9 (@BN9) December 7, 2021

“I enjoyed the opportunity. I think this program is awesome,” inmate Jamey Glisson told the television station. “It can get people to think outside the box. Instead of being in my cell and around all the negativity, we can make toys in here.”

Inmates in the program worked more than 2,000 hours in the toy lab this year to get hundreds of toys ready for children this Christmas.

“A lot of us just need the chance to see who we really are,” Glisson told BayNews9. “Prison is what you make of it. If you want to better yourself and be a better man, it’s up to you.”

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Polk Correctional Institution has enrolled hundreds of inmates into the Toys for Tots program over the past two decades.

“The parents call and ask about these wooden toys. They love them,” David Waller, director of Polk County’s Toys for Tots program, told BayNews9. “Thank you for all you guys do.”

The inmates enjoy helping the children.

“Oh, it’s great,” David White told BayNews9. “It keeps my mind active on positive things, knowing I’m doing some good out there.”