Instead of having a huge Christmas party for themselves, staff at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail decided this year it was more important to help people in the community.

“This is something the jail has done in the past,” said Laura Conway, the human resources director at the jail. “A lot of our staff members talked fondly about this. They said, ‘Why not do something like that again?’”

So in lieu of having a party, staff donated food items and sought donations of gift cards from Farm Fresh and Food Lion. Even the jail authority’s board members gave donations, Superintendent William C. Smith said.

This week, staff are delivering 15 food baskets to families they sought out through the churches, the Western Tidewater Community Services Board and other social services agencies.

The baskets include turkey, potatoes, stuffing, fresh fruit and all the fixings for a holiday meal. They also include staples including peanut butter, pasta and pasta sauce, as well as a $50 gift card to buy perishables.

Jail employees still will be having a small luncheon to celebrate the holidays in their workplace, but not without knowing 15 families in the community are having a merrier Christmas thanks to their efforts.

“We wanted to put more funds and effort towards doing something like this,” Conway said.