Job Training Program To Benefit From Annual Poinsettia Sale At Manatee County Jail: MCSO

PALMETTO, FL — The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s annual poinsettia sale kicks off this week at the Manatee County Jail at 14470 Harlee Road, the agency shared on Facebook.

Starting Friday, the poinsettias, grown by inmates participating in the Leading Inmates to Future Employment program, will be sold from 8 to 11 a.m. and noon to 2 p.m. in the visitor parking lot on weekdays while supplies last.

6-inch poinsettia pots cost $4 each. Checks and credit or debit cards will be accepted. No cash accepted.

All proceeds will benefit the L.I.F.E. program., which offers vocational training to low-risk inmates through a partnership with the Manatee Technical Institute.

The jail offers hands-on training in various areas, including auto paint and body repair, carpentry, culinary arts, custom garment and sewing, diesel engine repair, horticulture, meat processing, video production, and welding. It also offers a G.E.D. program.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Bradenton newsletters and real-time email alerts.

The goal is to prepare inmates for their release, Sheriff Rick Wells said on the MCSO website. “I strongly believe that if inmates can find jobs when they leave jail, their chances of a return visit are greatly diminished.”

He added, “The L.I.F.E. program utilizes inmate labor to not only give them job training but also to help reduce the exorbitant costs associated with running a jail. We save hundreds of thousands of dollars every year by producing much of our own food and providing other services. It's definitely a win-win situation for the inmates and the residents of Manatee County.”