Comfort Kits Bring Relief to Prisoners and others in need

Posted on by The Bardo Group Beguines

Faith communities can put together comfort kit baskets for spiritual and/or mental health that could be given to persons who have been affected by depression and other health issues, such as people in clubhouses, drop-in centers, group homes, hospitals, shelters, halfway houses … and for people prisons as well. For incarcerated community be sure to find out what is acceptable with authorites first.

Materials include:

– Small pocket Bible and/or Book of Psalms
– Journal, pen
– Personal hygiene items, such as soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, comb, washcloth, hand towel, bath towel.
– Snacks like raisins, fruit or nuts.

Different faith traditions can decide what to include in these “Comfort Kit Baskets”. Each faith tradition has devotional materials, books, journals or magazines. Information on the faith community, the hours of worship and a welcoming statement would help persons reconnect to their spiritual life. Especially items that are uplifting, encouraging, educational, inspiring, and much more.

For those of us who feel alone and forgotten in our personal darkness, such a basket becomes a source of hope, inspiration and a link to others who care. These “Comfort Kitz” would be a wonderful way of reaching out to others and something like this could mean the world to someone struggling and could be such a witness in ministering to others!

If a person doesn’t belong to a faith community, then friends or relatives can make baskets appealing to the 5 senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound by giving music, food, books, etc. – use your imagination! For one of my friends that was in the hospital around her 40th birthday, I filled a laundry basket with 40 items (one for each year of her life) that included lots of household things and gift items like scented soaps and candles, towels, etc. She loved it.

© 2017, Denise Fletcher

Author:

The focus of "The BeZine," a publication of The Bardo Group Beguines, is on sacred space (common ground) as it is expressed through the arts. Our work covers a range of topics: spirituality, life, death, personal experience, culture, current events, history, art, and photography and film. We share work here that is representative of universal human values however differently they might be expressed in our varied religions and cultures. We feel that our art and our Internet-facilitated social connection offer a means to see one another in our simple humanity, as brothers and sisters, and not as “other.” This is a space where we hope you’ll delight in learning how much you have in common with “other” peoples. We hope that your visits here will help you to love (respect) not fear. For more see our Info/Mission Statement Page.

2 thoughts on “Comfort Kits Bring Relief to Prisoners and others in need”

  1. This is a wonderful idea! I think it can help those preparing the baskets be more aware of those incarcerated as human beings, who feel emotions and need comfort just as we on the outside do. Thank you for sharing this with us this month! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Kindly phrased comments welcome here.

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