QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — It's beginning to look like Christmas in Queen Creek.
"It's like Disneyland, but if it wasn't in California," Eli Blue, an Angel Tree recipient, said.
A Valley church hosted its annual Angel Tree event Monday night where they donated hundreds of presents to kids of incarcerated parents.
“It’s been really good for him," Lorri Blue said about her grandson, Eli. "You know, his dad was in prison for six years.”
More than 684,000 incarcerated adults have children, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prison Fellowship partnered with Rock Point Church to bring more than 500 of those kids in Arizona presents this Christmas.
“Just really giving these families that deal with trauma just the ability to have a regular Christmas, and we might be their only Christmas," Rock Point Church Outreach Pastor Jeremy Hart said.
Rock Point Church families select Angel Tree cards and shop for specific families. They work with the parents who are serving time to personalize the gifts and holiday greetings.
“We actually even give them cards with a message from their parent in the gift bag so it really feels like that’s who it’s from and it creates that family connection," Hart said.
The church hosts a party with food, crafts and the opportunity for kids to write back to their parents.
“I see messages like, 'To my beautiful mom, I love and miss you,' or 'Thank you for my Christmas present,' before they’ve even opened it," Prison Fellowship Church Partnership Manager Michelle Payette said.
Payette is a formerly incarcerated mother who knows what it's like to be on the other side of the gift.
“It wasn’t really about being a free gift, it was the fact that I could connect with my son and I couldn’t be there but I could still provide a gift to him so he would know I didn’t forget about him," Payette said.
She said her son valued the gesture just as much.
“Very touching. He still has the gift to this day," Payette said.
For the parents who are released, the program is a gift that keeps on giving.
“This has kind of helped fill that void in my son’s life, saying 'oh I can do this for my child,' so it’s been good," Lorri Blue said.
The program spans beyond the holidays. Hart works with these kids year round.
“Not only are we making a difference for the families, but we’re helping keep mom and dad out so they can just be with their family forever," Hart said.