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Everything you need to write about Jeff's Second Family — mission, founder quotes, current ministry statistics. Updated regularly.
Mission & vision
Jeff's Second Family is a faith-based, volunteer-run pen-pal ministry connecting compassionate correspondents with incarcerated individuals across the United States. The ministry is named in honor of Harold Jeff Morrison, whose vision from inside the Texas Correctional System sparked the work decades ago.
Operating as a program of Food For Children, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Jeff's Second Family creates correspondence opportunities between volunteers and incarcerated souls — opportunities of mind, spirit, and friendship — based on mutual kindness and respectfulness.
What we do
The ministry recruits, screens, and pairs volunteers with inmates seeking pen pals. Volunteers correspond by USPS mail or through prison communication systems (Securus, GettingOut, ConnectNetwork, CorrLinks, etc.). Every match is personally reviewed by ministry coordinators. The ministry provides volunteers with training, ongoing support, safety guidelines, and the digital infrastructure to maintain meaningful long-term correspondences.
Why it matters
Incarcerated people are among the most isolated members of American society. Letters from the outside — even brief, simple ones — provide a profound sense of connection, dignity, and hope. The ministry exists on the conviction that no one should be forgotten, and that consistent kindness across prison walls can change lives on both sides.
Founder quotes
"What began as a personal calling has grown into a structured ministry. Our mission is to create correspondence opportunities between volunteers and incarcerated souls — of mind and spirit — based on mutual kindness and respectfulness."
"For incarcerated folks, mail call is everything. A card, a few sentences, even a postcard — it doesn't take much to remind someone they aren't forgotten. That's the whole ministry, in a sentence."
"The Ministry carries Jeff's name as a reminder that the people we serve are never just recipients — they are leaders, brothers, and family."
Quick facts
Brief history
- 1979 — Food For Children, Inc. founded at Cabrini Medical Center by Richard and Maureen Holley with the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and healthcare colleagues.
- Decades of personal ministry — Richard begins corresponding with incarcerated individuals across the United States, including Harold Jeff Morrison in the Texas Correctional System, whose vision sparks what becomes Jeff's Second Family.
- 2025 — The personal correspondence ministry is formalized into a structured volunteer program under the Food For Children umbrella.
- 2026 — Launch of penpalministry.org with full digital platform: volunteer onboarding, inmate matching, correspondence tracking, multi-platform support (Securus, GettingOut, ConnectNetwork, CorrLinks, USPS), volunteer health monitoring, and tier-based recognition.
Press inquiries
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