May 23, 2024
I wanted to let you know I received the materials and am grateful that you are willing to send them to us. I have requests for the Gita’s so they will be gone in a few. The men and women who were requesting them will be very happy to receive them. Many places will not donate because they have no hope for this population! Thank you for having both hope and compassion! Thank you for showing it with your donation of materials!
Chaplain Lewis Kyle —Inverness Jail, Portland, Oregon
______________________________
March 4, 2024
I am the Chaplain at a juvenile facility in the Northern region of Indiana. We spoke about 18 months ago, as I was serving in a nearby adult facility (Miami Correctional). I truly appreciate the magazines, DVDs, books and prayer beads you provided at that time. The individuals that received those items were truly grateful, as I constantly rotated magazines around the facility for them. We had about 6 that were Hindu, and many others who were curious of the beliefs. As we don’t have the largest population of Hindu or Buddhist students, we do have a few and I was hoping you could provide a small number of books for us. At this time, I have one Mahabharata, and 3 books on the Hindu beliefs for the students. Being so limited, I can’t really give the books to the students. Is there a chance I could ask for a few copies of the Mahabharata, and/or the Ramayana? This would be to give to the students as a gift as they in-process and allow them to keep these books as a gift from the donor organization. We only receive 2-4 students a year that define as Hindu/ Buddhist, but I believe it would mean a lot for them to have these items to support their faith beliefs. I don’t believe we can use a large number of magazines, but maybe 5 or 6 to hold onto for the students to read in the Chapel. I have 2 library sections. 1 is full of over 1,000 books for the incarcerated to have. Then I have another with about 200 books, I call the Theology Corner, where they can come to chapel just to read about the religions, but can’t take them. That is a great blessing. Always a gift of enlightenment for others. We would enjoy the magazines, the incarcerated students can learn a great deal from them. Some of our students are not well educated, so a magazine may be better for them.
Chaplain Christopher Back —Logansport Juvenile Correctional Facility, Logansport, Indiana
______________________________
December 21, 2023
I have a gentleman who has been bringing in your newsletter and other materials for years for self-study and he was wondering what is available to be sent in for communal use, like DVDs/music/or lectures, that our facility could have available for group worship. We have been talking for a few months and he is hoping to get something started at our Religious Center sometime in the next year. I browsed your website and did not readily see an order form for the items he was talking about, but did see a mention of items on the home page. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back.
January 16, 2024
We can accept all of the items you are able to offer. Just to let you know we have basically four facilities in one. We have the Reception center, the Treatment center, a Medical/Mental health center, and a maximum- security center; all of these groups do not mix or rarely mix due to the necessities of each population. I can share the items you are able to send our way so the men here can have access to the information if you are limited to what can be sent to a single facility. We have a new blue-ray player that accommodates several media formats so CDs, MP3s, and DVDs will all work. The men here are allowed hardbound books, thank you for asking. While I have not had anyone recently ask for books like these in Spanish our Spanish speaking population has been on the rise this last year so I would say that would be a good item to have. Any backorder magazines would be wonderful as well since all of the information would be new to the men in here. The 18-book volume would be helpful for the Reception and Treatment sides I would think; we might need to revisit this in about 2 or 3 years when our hospital ward is completed. The men across my facility love having newsletters and we make sure there is room for the newsletters for the men to grab. Since this will be a fairly new belief for many of the men I would think about 50 would be good for now, but we will update you as time goes. We will also make use of our libraries here to reach as many men as possible with your publication..
February 16, 2024
This is exciting news for sure! Thank you very much for sending these as I know some of the men who have recently asked about the material will be excited when I have the chance to inform them. Thank you for the kindness and compassion for the gentlemen under my care.
March 1, 2024
We have received a few of the boxes so far and the men here who are interested in ISKCON have been extremely excited for the new material. Thank you very much as this has brought great joy to the men who sincerely wish to practice and learn.
Robert Rucker / Religious Coordinator –Nebraska Department of Corrections Services
______________________________
January 30, 2024
I wanted to let you know we received your generous donations and are extremely grateful! Thank you again for investing into our community!
Chaplain Cathy Romero —Denver Women’s C.F. Colorado
______________________________
January, 2024
For your information, so far this year I have given out 40 copies of the Gita and 102 other books that you have sent to me. Thank you for your support!!
David David O’Rourke —Inmate Support Services for Boulder County Jail
______________________________
November 15, 2023
Today I picked up from the warehouse 2 boxes. Thank you!
Chaplain Hochman —Fairton, New Jersey
______________________________
October 5, 2023
We received your much appreciated Donation; we were able to actually give an Inmate in Confinement material today during rounds. We had one inmate come to the time slotted for their service and he was surprised with the donations. I cannot thank you enough for your compassion for the Inmates here at N.W.F.R.C. M/U and Annex. I was able to share some material with the Senior Chaplain of the Annex. Thank you again.
Chaplain Dante Hill —Chipley, Florida
______________________________
October 12, 2023
I have just received your generous donation of two boxes of materials. On behalf of SCI Forest and the individuals who may benefit from these materials we are thankful with a grateful heart. These materials are in the process of being logged and labeled into our Religious Library and will be made available as soon as that task is complete. Thank you again and may you be blessed as you continue to minister through your generosity. Many Blessings.
Rev. Stacy Allan Shaffer —Marienville, Pennsylvania
______________________________
September 4, 2023
Yes, that would be wonderful. As we continue to add to our library any and all donations would be of great interest to us. Whatever you are able to send can and will be utilized.
Rev. Stacy Allan Shaffer —Marienville, Pennsylvania
______________________________
July 17, 2023
Thank you for your email. It might be a good idea if you could send me two paperback Bhagavad-Gitas so that I may have them on hand to respond to any future requests. The patient who receives the magazines and newsletters asked me about them recently, so he will be very happy to receive what you sent. Please keep sending the magazines and newsletters to me for him. I will advise you when he is discharged. Thank you for your continued support of our patients.
Monica Maghrak —Torrance, Pennsylvania
______________________________
Yes, I would appreciate any materials you are willing to donate for this faith group. Ten copies of the BTG magazine monthly would be sufficient as this group only has a few adherents at this time in this institution. Any materials you would be willing to donate would be a great addition to my library. Thank you and many blessings.
Chaplain Stacy Shaffer, Dept. of Corrections —Marienville, Pennsylvania
______________________________
We would like to receive twenty magazines monthly. Thank you very much.
Chaplain Kevin Bone, MCCF —Eagleville, Pennsylvania
______________________________
A stack of back issues of BTG monthly would be great! Let us begin with fifty, please. We would love to have the book series Srimad-Bhagavatam as well.
Chaplain Moses, Fluvanna C.C. —Troy, Virginia
______________________________
[Last October, Chaplain Kolakowski wrote:] From what you sent us (BTGs), I put one copy in the library for inmates to borrow and put the rest out for inmates to take and keep —whatever I put out from you disappeared quickly— so if you want to send more copies of BTG, I am sure someone is interested in them. [We now send them fifty copies monthly]Chaplain Kolakowski, SCI Waymart —Waymart, Pennsylvania
______________________________
January 4, 2023
Thank you –I received the box of magazines. I saw again that whatever I put out to take was all taken! Could I also distribute these magazines to a mental hospital where I work?
Rabbi Joseph M. Kolakowski —Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
______________________________
November 8, 2022
I have received your generous donation; thank you so very much. We are currently getting the items prepared for our library and updating our Chapel Library list. Once the Chapel Library list is completed it will be distributed to the inmate population. The Inmate population then may elect to select these new items.
Thank you again and may you be blessed.
Rev. Stacy Allan Shaffer —Marienville, Pennsylvania
______________________________
October 19, 2022
Dhanyavaad and Namaste – sincere thanks for your gift of books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs to our inmates – it was received a few days ago. I will be sure to let anyone who is interested in different religions or who identifies with these traditions about this addition to our library. Best blessings to you and yours.
From the magazines you sent us, I put one copy into the library for inmates to borrow and put the rest out for inmates to take and keep – whatever I put out from you disappeared quickly – so if you want to send more copies of BTG, I am sure someone is interested in them.
______________________________
September 30, 2022
I’ve just recently been searching for a venue to get donated Hindu religious books/literature and thus far I’ve made no progress. I was so glad to receive this letter from the ISKCON prison ministry. My facility could really benefit from your generosity. I rely entirely on donations to meet the religious needs of the inmates I serve.
Chaplain Ryan Seabolt —Bunker Hill, West Virginia
______________________________
September 12, 2022
These items are such a blessing to so many individuals in our facility. I have already handed out a couple of the magazines and loaned out a couple of the books. I took time to watch and listen to a few of these items myself. Our facility tries to facilitate all opportunities for those to practice their beliefs and in situations such as segregation, they don’t have this option, so it helps when I can provide a book for them.
Chaplain Christopher Back —Bunker Hill, IN
______________________________
September 7, 2022
The facility chaplain provided me your 8/13/22 letter wherein you offered Hindu religious books for our prison library. We thank you in advance, for your donation. Currently we have a very limited amount of religious books on the Hindu religion; your generous donation will significantly’ expand our religious library. Again, thank you for generous donation to our religious 1ibrary.
Warden Timothy M. Lang —Lusk, Wyoming
______________________________
August 25, 2022
My name is Chaplain Julie Bell. I serve at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women here in Mitchellville Iowa. I recently received your letter offering Hindu materials for our religious library. We have been searching for resources that would supply materials for our Hindu population. It is amazing that your letter arrived with the answers we have been searching for. This will help fill the void in our Hindu section of our library.
We can accept all of the materials you offered in your letter because they will be stored here in our place of worship for the women to access.
We would love the have a set of the encyclopedia [Srimad-Bhagavatam] for the women’s reference section. Thank you so much for sharing your items with us.
Chaplain Julie Bell —Mitchellville, Iowa
______________________________
April 26, 2022
Dear Bhakti:
It was a pleasure speaking with you this morning. Thank you for being so generous with your materials. I know the veterans will greatly appreciate them. They value receiving spiritual materials from non-Christian sources so they can explore different approaches to living and spirituality. We usually have about 50 vets who are in three locked units. They come in with a variety of problems but talking and reading seem to help.
The veterans are my favorite group to work with; they are open to talk about God, and they need the most help.
Thank you again for your generosity.
Chaplain Sara Goodman
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs —California
______________________________
Thank you so much for the DVD, the exquisite Cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam and the extra miscellaneous literature. All is received whole and intact. Your generosity is boundless and deeply appreciated.
May Krishna grant you the fullness of all his blessings, the freedom from all fear and utter confidence of his peace, and the sheer joy of his presence beside and within you!
Blessings, Peace and Joy!
Chaplain Dave Rink
Chippewa Correctional Facility
Michigan
______________________________
May 12, 2021
Friends, thank you for the recent shipment of books. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Chaplain Joseph E Wolfe
Huttonsville C.C. & Jail
West Virginia
______________________________
May 17, 2021
I am writing and sending you a receipt record of the donations you sent and an inventory of all Krishna material we now have available. Thank you for your efforts to provide assistance to those of your faith tradition in our facility.
Chaplain William Burch
Prairieland Detention Center
Alvarado, Texas
______________________________
December 17, 2010
I wish to convey my heartfelt appreciation to those responsible for the great contributions ISKCON is able to make to the inmates of Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. Without strong community support of this kind programs like ours wouldn’t be able to function.
Thank you again for all you do for the men here.
Chaplain Eric Askren
Coyote Ridge Corrections Center
Connell, WA
______________________________
March 16, 2010
Dear partner in ministry,
I want to personally thank you for your generous donation to the faith group here at Adams County Correctional Center. Your donation has been made available to the inmate population, and is being utilized.
Your donation is especially appreciated as we are a new prison and we are building our faith group materials and library. You are one of the first groups to make any donation!
I look forward to a lasting relationship with you.
Respectfully,
Chaplain Jon Shonebarger, Jr.
Adams County Correctional Center
Washington, MS 39190
_____________________________
January 19, 2005
Dear Mother Shyama Priya,
Thank you for your generous donation of books. Your donation had been given to James Seal to be put in our Hare Krishna library for checkout. We cannot afford to buy these publications, so we rely on the generosity of organizations such as yours to help us help the men here at Oregon State Penitentiary. We wish you the very best in your efforts in this area.
Sincerely,
Chaplain Phil Holbrook
Oregon State Penitentiary
_________________________
September 24, 2009
Blessings!
Thank you for your gracious donation of books and magazines and your continued support for incarcerated men, even though these difficult times. We appreciate your steadfast generosity. We work hard to put your donation’s to good use.
Again we find ourselves in great need. As the primary receiving institution for the men in the Washington State Prison System, our population is diverse and temporary, in that most inmates stays in this facility less than three months before assignment to a permanent institution.
While imprisoned many of these find strength and renewed faith while reading the Materials on Krishna and other Krishna material. We provide donated Krishna material for men who are in need. The Materials on Krishna they receive from us are taken with them to their permanent institution for continued use.
Will you please make a donation of Materials on Krishna and other Krishna materials so that we can continue to provide our Krishna population with materials to strengthen their faith?
We are also seeking volunteers in the greater Puget Sound region to work with our population here at WCC. If you have any contacts you could pass on it would be appreciated.
Thank you on behalf of Washington Corrections Center(WCC), and all of your continuing support. The men here make a point of praying for those who see and know that good comes from unlikely places, like prison. You are in our prayers.
Peace and all good,
Chaplain Joe T. Portugal
Washington Correction Center
Shelton, WA
______________________________
August 15, 2009
Peace be unto you.
I am writing to you on behalf of Washington Corrections Center (WCC) and all of the religious organizations represented here at prison. And again we find ourselves in great need. As the primary receiving institution for the men in the Washington State Prison System, our population is diverse and temporary, in that most inmates stay in this facility less than three months before a assignment to permanent institution.
While imprisoned many of these men find strength and renewed faith while reading the Materials on Krishna and other Krishna material. We provide Krishna material for men who are in need. And with an ever-growing Krishna population. Will you please make a donation of Materials on Krishna and other Krishna materials so that we can continue to provide our Krishna population with materials to strengthen their faith.
We are also in great need of volunteers to support and assist with our religious programs of all faiths. Will you please share need with other organizations that may be able to provide Volunteer services, assistance, or support? We would also appreciate any addresses or website information you would recommend.
Thank you for your donation,
Chaplain Joe T. Portugal
Washington Correction Center
Shelton, WA
______________________________________
October 10, 2008
Greetings,
We here at Washington Correction Center Chapel would like to thank you for your generous donation of materials. The men here are always in need of inspirational materials and they greatly appreciate the items we are able to provide to them. I hope that you will continue to bless us with your gracious donations. And if possible share our need with others.
Thank you for your help,
Chaplain Joe T. Portugal
Washington Correction Center
Shelton, WA
_____________________________________