Federal probation officers join Christmas outreach to San Francisco jails
By Valerie Schmalz
Twenty federal probation officers and support staff joined the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Restorative Justice Ministry today to write cards and pack bags of holiday treats for the 1,200 inmates in the San Francisco County jails in San Bruno and San Francisco.
The Christmas cards and treats will be delivered to the jails on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12, said Julio Escobar, restorative justice ministry coordinator. He noted that in addition to the federal probation officers, another group of local parishioners joined in writing cards on Dec. 10.
“It’s a nice chance for us to give back and to do something differently,” said Jennifer Hutchings, a federal supervisory probation officer. “It’s nice for us to be on a different side of things.”
The Northern District of California U.S. Probation Office has offices around the state in San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Oakland as well as other satellite offices. Each year the four offices pick a project where they can give back to the community, said Deputy Chief Aaron Tam, who was among those who spent several hours at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center writing personal messages on Christmas cards for the inmates in the county jails.
The morning event comprised volunteers sitting at tables in the large multipurpose room at the Archdiocesan pastoral center, writing cards, and filling the bags with little goodies, a bag of chips, gummies, and a granola bar. Christmas music played, and green and light Christmas lights sparkled from a projector onto the walls. The day ended with cheese and pepperoni pizza, drinks, and cookies and fruit for lunch.
“We do one event each calendar year,” Tam said, and the Christmas card project fit right in with the work that the probation officers do every day—working with justice-involved and incarcerated people on the law enforcement side. “This is sort of the work we do, from a different side. We’re grateful for the opportunity.”
Katrina Chu, the supervising probation officer, learned of the Restorative Justice Christmas Card project and recommended the collaboration. With two children in Catholic school, Chu said she was aware of much of the work of the Catholic Church. “We just felt this was a different way to give back.”
–Valerie Schmalz is the director of the Office of Human Life & Dignity, which includes Restorative Justice Ministry.