Purpose Behind The Walls: July 31, 2026 with 17 & Under Youth at Foothills Correctional

On Friday, May 15th, five GIU volunteers gathered outside Piedmont Correctional Facility in Salisbury, where they were warmly welcomed by Chaplain Hackett and a dedicated crew of over 20 residents.

This visit was a unique, full-circle mission of brotherhood. Just last December, over 50 women residents at Anson Correctional assembled over 4,300 Grace Bags to be handed out to their brothers at area correctional facilities. This time, the tables were turned: the men at Piedmont Correctional stepped up to assemble Grace Bags for the upcoming GIU days at Anson Correctional this June!

Once inside the gymnasium and with all the supplies unloaded, we set up four production lines across two tables. We challenged the guys to see just how fast they could pack more than 2,000 bags.

Each Grace Bag was packed with care and included:

• Treats: Oreo cookies, chips, granola bars, and mini candy bars.
• Spiritual Encouragement: A Grace scripture cookie, a Grace inspirational card featuring Bible verses, encouraging scriptures, and a prayer for salvation.

The energy in the room was electric. Chaplain Hackett kept spirits high, cheering the men on and playfully teasing them to pick up the pace. Thanks to the incredible teamwork and tremendous speed of the residents, all 2,000+ bags were completely assembled in just about 90 minutes—we actually ran out of supplies because they worked so fast!

After a joyful and high-energy afternoon, the volunteers and residents gathered in a circle to close the day in prayer. Before parting ways, several of the residents shared deeply moving, inspiring, and encouraging words with our volunteer team, reminding us all of the power of community and faith.

We give all the glory to God for such a blessed day of fellowship! We are already looking forward to returning to Piedmont Correctional in October to host one or two days of services alongside Chaplain Hackett and these incredible men.

Even on a cloudy and rainy day in early May, six dedicated GIU volunteers gathered outside the Rutherford Correctional Center in Spindale, North Carolina, filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to serve. Our mission for the day was to bring joy, fellowship, and "Grace Bags" to our brothers behind bars.

Upon arriving, our team went through the check-in process, showing our credentials and being escorted onto the grounds. We want to extend a very special thank you to Chaplain Logan, Warden Godwin, and the entire correctional staff. Their incredible kindness, hospitality, and cooperation made the day seamless.

The staff allowed us to set up our distribution tables just along the backside of the administration building. To make the interaction as personal as possible, our six volunteers lined up in a single file about 10 feet apart.

As the residents were called out by their respective dorms, we had the incredible privilege to:

• Distribute Grace Bags to every single resident who came through.
• Connect personally through handshakes, fist bumps, and words of encouragement.
• Share the love of Christ with our brothers, sharing a wonderful time of fellowship with many who are already believers, and planting seeds of hope with many others.

Before wrapping up the distribution, we also made sure to leave plenty of Grace Bags for the hard-working correctional staff to enjoy.

Following the distribution, Chaplain Logan kindly escorted our team into the chaplaincy area to show us their beautiful facility. As a touching parting gift, they even provided our volunteers with daily devotionals to take home with us.

This was GIU's very first time going inside Rutherford Correctional Center, and it was an unforgettable experience. We are profoundly grateful for the opportunity and are already praying and looking forward to returning to visit them again in the fall!

On Thursday, April 2, seven dedicated volunteers from GIU gathered at the entrance of the Piedmont Correctional Center in Salisbury. Before crossing the threshold, the team met in the parking lot to share a moment of prayer, setting a focused and compassionate tone for the mission ahead: delivering "Grace Bags" to the residents and staff of the facility

Once inside, the team was escorted to the gymnasium, where the atmosphere was already buzzing with activity. We were greeted by residents playing basketball and a technical crew preparing audio-visual equipment for the upcoming Easter weekend services.

The highlight of the afternoon was the incredible worship team. This group of more than ten talented musicians and singers filled the gym with a powerful mix of contemporary and traditional gospel music. Their performance kept spirits high and provided a beautiful backdrop for our outreach.

As the music played, our volunteers fanned out to personally connect with the residents. It was a massive undertaking, but the results were truly heartening:

• 1,200+ Grace Bags were distributed in total across the facility.
• 780+ residents received a bag along with a personal greeting and a handshake.
• Staff Outreach: While we weren’t able to hand-deliver bags to every single staff member, we were able to provide Grace Bags to many of the personnel we encountered throughout the day as a token of our appreciation.

The interaction was a "two-way street" of blessing; many residents and staff expressed deep gratitude for the visit and the encouragement.

This successful day of service would not have been possible without the seamless coordination of Chaplain Hackett. We also want to extend our sincere thanks to the entire staff at Piedmont Correctional for their outstanding hospitality and cooperation.

We are already looking forward to our return to Piedmont Correctional Center later in 2026 to continue building these vital connections of faith and hope!