Jail Inmates Make Toys For Needy Children

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — More than 600 children will have brighter holidays because of inmate elves at the Marsh Creek Detention Facility in Contra Costa County. There will be doll houses, rocking horses, work benches, spinning carousels, cars, baby cradles, toy tractors, train sets and other handcrafted toys — 544 in all — under Christmas trees, along with 90 refurbished bicycles.

The toys were handed off to community organizations last month at the 27th annual Holiday Toy Show at the jail wood shop, which had been transformed into a colorful Santa’s Workshop.

“This outstanding event always officially kicks off the holidays for me,” Sheriff David Livingston said. He told the inmates, “I want to thank you gentlemen and those before you that have been working diligently on this yearlong program.”

The wood shop program is a joint partnership between the sheriff's office and Contra Costa County Office of Education. The toy donations have been taking place since 1991.

“We always appreciate coming together annually with the sheriff’s department with this special project,” Schools Superintendent Lynn Mackey said. “But not only the Holiday Toy Show. We also celebrate the numerous school programs we help run throughout the year in all three of the sheriff’s detention centers. And, I too, would like to thank our adult students here today. Your toy-making and bike-refurbishing skills will certainly make a brighter holiday season for many children throughout our community.”

In addition to wood shop, inmates are enrolled in vocational classes including construction and computers to provide them with job skills once they're released. More than 3,200 adult inmates took classes during the 2018-19 school year.