Family Circle Ministries

Good Stuff

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Annual Golf Tournament

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Being a Friend

  • Have you ever wondered how you could get to know a man or women behind bars?
  • Have you ever wondered how you could get to know a man or women behind bars?
  • Ever wonder if they needed someone to talk to?  Or write a letter to?
  • Do you have the time to visit with an inmate?
  • Many inmates have no contact with the outside world.  They have no visitors, no one to call and they never receive a letter.
  • YOU can make a difference in an inmate’s life and it will only cost you a little bit of your time.
  • And we can show you how to do it.
  • We will introduce you to an inmate that you can write to.  Our secure mail system means until you are ready no inmate know your address or phone number
  • There is never any long term commitment, you interact at your own speed and you can stop at any time.
  • If you would like to have more information, please contact us using the contact page, or email us at friends@friendsoverfences.org

Donate Your Vehicle

  • Family Circle Ministries, Inc a 501 (c) 3 (d/b/a Friends Over Fences) accepts vehicle donations from our friends in Central PA, offering tax deductions to qualifying donors.
  • Cars, trucks, boats, RV’s, motorcycles, busses and campers are all acceptable vehicles. The ministry takes in both running and non-running vehicles and provides free towing and a tax receipt to the donor. All vehicles will be considered. 
  • Appointments for vehicle pick- up are arranged at the donor’s convenience and vehicles are usually picked up within a few days of the donor’s call.
  • Interested parties may call 717-439-0466 to schedule a pick up or for further details.
  • Your vehicle donation to Family Circle Ministries helps support ‘returning citizens’ in many ways. Our first choice is to help a man or women who needs a vehicle to go to work. Depending on the situation we may give the vehicle to the individual or work out a payment plan so they can help other returning citizens. If the vehicle is not the right vehicle we will sell the unit at the best price and the proceeds will benefit ‘returning citizens’ in other ways.
Vehicle Donation Graphic

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Be a PenPal

If you want to write an inmate, we will try to give you as much support as possible. Look at this page on being a pen pal for more information.

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Housing

We work with returning citizens to find suitable housing close to their employment if possible. We have direct supervision of 29 units that we try to fill with ex-offenders. In addition we work with the 3 organizations in Harrisburg that facilitate the DOC housing assistance program to ex-offenders: Gaudenzia House, AMiracle4Sure and The Program. To date we have directly placed 50 ex-offenders into housing and referred dozens more

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Visiting Inmates

  • State prisons have their own rules. 
  • Federal prisons have their own rules.
  • County jails have their own rules.
  • It is always best to check with the institution before you just show up.
  • THERE IS ONE RULE THAT IS CONSISTENT. YOU MUST BE ON THE INMATES VISITOR LIST IF YOU WANT TO VISIT!
  • Here are a couple of links for the PA Department of Corrections (PA DOC) for family and friends and some detail on visiting inmates. (a) family and friends; and (b) inmate visitation.

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Mentoring

  • Interested in Mentoring an inmate or a ‘returning citizen’?
  • Please contact us using the contact page or at: ssands@friendsoverfences.org
  • We will get back to you so we can get you started!

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Transportation

  • Returning citizens need much help with their transportation needs when they first get to a halfway house or when they are paroled.
  • Although buses go all over town, they don’t always go where or when they are needed.
  •  By volunteering to take a ‘returning citizen’ to a job interview, doctor appointment and maybe even visit their family, you are being a very blessing! 
  • If you would like to volunteer please contact us on the contact page or at: ssands@friendsoverfences.org

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Financial Support

It is always very helpful if you can provide financial support. At the bottom of each page, in the middle column of three, you will find a link for PayPal that will facilitate you using your personal credit card, or using your PayPal account if you have one. In the right hand column is the primary address for FOF, i.e. you can write a check and send it to: 80 Brooklane Court, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.