A Sunday school in Wisconsin has been decorating paper bags for inmates.

A Sunday school in Wisconsin has been giving back to the local community with an unusual paper bag project.

In the city of Racine the St Paul Missionary Baptist Church's younger members have been hard at work decorating brown bags with Christmas imagery such as stars and trees, which will then be filled and given as gifts to inmates at the Racine County Jail.

According to Journal Times around 800 bags are being put together by local groups and filled with sweets and religious literature to give to those currently incarcerated.

The church has a long tradition of providing inmates with non-denominational gift bags, offering the gifts for more than 20 years.

Racine County jail chaplain Merritt Adams told the publication: "It's a little thing. But when you are locked up, a little thing can make a big difference.

Other churches and community groups around the county are encouraged to pick up paper bags from the church so that they too can help decorate and return them before the December 19th deadline, just in time for Christmas.

The children at St Paul's are encouraged to be creative and draw what they believe best signifies Christmas, so as to help spread the festive spirit to those in the nearby jail.

Once decorated each of the bags will be transported to the Racine County Jail, where Mr Adams and a team of volunteers fill them with sweets, fruit and a selection of religious literature.

They will then be handed to the inmates shortly before Christmas.

While the project might be controversial to some, Mr Adams argued that it was important in their rehabilitation.

"If we keep treating them like inmates, they're going to continue to be criminals. Let's instead show them how to be constructive members of society," he said.

Shopping bags direct have many years of experience and expertise in the supply of bespoke paper bags. We can custom the bags to meet your requirements so please don’t hesitate to contact us now for a quote.