TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

'Elves' Behind Bars Make Toys For The Needy

Photo from Polk Correctional Institution

Inmates at Polk Correctional Institution have built and painted hundreds of small wooden toys for the Marines' Toys for Tots program distribution.

ADVERTISEMENT

By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2008

Wooden airplanes, trucks and rocking horses sit in a warehouse ready for delivery to hundreds of Polk County homes this holiday season.

The toys are built and painted by hand in a workshop inside the Polk Correctional Institution. The 15 "elves" that crafted at least 1,000 gifts this year are prison inmates.

"It's their way of giving back to the community," Assistant Warden for Programs Tommy Young said in a statement. "They're proud of what they've done."

The U.S. Marine Corps will distribute the finished toys to needy schoolchildren in Polk County. This is the 10th year inmates have taken scrap wood, rags and other materials to fashion into butterflies, fishing poles, dolls and teddy bears, Florida Department of Corrections officials said.

The supplies are donated by the inmates' families, Department of Corrections employees and home improvement stores Lowe's and Home Depot.

Officer Lawanda Smith supervised the inmates as they made toys throughout the year and marvels at the craftsmanship.

"These are handmade, hand-painted toys," she said.

In the past, inmates have made as many as 2,000 for the Marines' Toys for Tots program, but the sluggish economy has halved the production this year, officials say.

Inmates have already begun work for the 2009 Christmas season, and the Toys for Tots program is in need of supplies, officials say. The program is accepting donations of wood, paint, brushes, sketch paper, craft items, hinges for jewelry boxes, wooden wheels, fabric and patterns for teddy bears and dolls, and good grade plywood for heirloom-quality rocking chairs.

To donate items, call Warden Ron Tadlock at (863) 984-2273.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT