Whether you’re brand new to our work or looking for a deeper understanding, this quick list captures the heart of our mission, and the community that powers it.

1️⃣ It started with one family member.
Our organization was born after a family member was wrongly incarcerated. What started as a desperate attempt to stay connected became a movement to remind people in prison they are not forgotten.

2️⃣ We process hundreds of letters a month.
Six times a week, I turn the key on our PO Box in little Veneta, Oregon. Friends, it’s an avalanche. Hundreds of letters every week from people in prison — applications, updates, poetry, artwork, and questions from those seeking connection. The mail is our gateway drug. It’s the task that gets volunteers hooked. Opening that first envelope is REAL-izing this isn’t just paperwork. These are people.

3️⃣ We’re powered by volunteers.
When Rick first told me from the phone in a county jail to ‘get some volunteers,’ I had no idea of the community we were about to build. There’s no office, no paid staff, and no corporate backing. Just the steady rhythm of volunteers with day jobs, families, and big hearts — making time to  keep the hive buzzing. (Stay tuned this week if you’re wondering, ‘What’s with all the bee-speak?”)

4️⃣ There are over 20,000 people in our database.
They come from every state and every background, caught in the grip of a cruel system that actively and intentionally withholds what is most needed to improve and redirect their trajectory: education, mental health care, mentoring, connection. And our little database is a drop in the bucket.

5️⃣ Adoption is only part of what we do.
We’re building a movement through education, storytelling, and community organizing. We collaborate with universities and charitable organizations like United Way, Braver Angels, Toastmasters International (did you know Toastmasters goes into prisons?), we help families navigate the maze of nonsense required for the simplest of things – a phone call, a photo, visit. We’ve provided testimony in support of people seeking parole. And now we’ve launched our biggest campaign yet with Drop a Dime on Injustice. (More on that later.)

6️⃣ We believe in second chances.
We don’t ask why someone is inside. We ask what they need to thrive. We live by Bryan Stevenson’s words, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” We believe in redemption, dignity, connection, and hope. We want it for ourselves, and we want it for others.

🧡 Want to help right now?
The easiest way is to donate a book of stamps. Every envelope we send makes a difference.

Peace and power,
The Adopt an Inmate Team