It’s easy to forget people once they are incarcerated for a long period of time.

Former friends, former colleagues, ex-classmates, associates and even in some cases relatives – not to mention those people we only “know” from following their particular court cases in the media; they all are easy to forget once they are consigned to prison for a lengthy sentence.

However, it was Mahatma Ghandi who said “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.”

Sure, we don’t necessarily think of imprisoned people as being society’s weakest members. Many were predators on the outside and a long prison sentence is deserved. But being in prison isn’t empowering and many if not most prisons don’t succeed much when it comes to the rehabilitation myth that is hoisted upon the public.

Forgiveness and charity are two of the cornerstones of our civilization, and providing services even to inmates just shows how deeply held these values are to many decent people.

That’s why Minot Daily News congratulates and thanks the volunteers of Folding Angels.

In a couple of months, Folding Angels will be celebrating 10 years of a notable initiative. The group, founded by Rhonda Schmidt, works fall-spring to make cards for inmates in the North Dakota State Penitentiary and the Ward County Jail. The cards are themed for holidays and enable inmates to keep in touch with family and friends.

Schmidt began the effort in 2009 as a one-person project, making 65 cards. Now, the group donates over 500 cards a month and recently hit the milestone of 26,000 cards in its history.

Folding Angels hasn’t forgotten, or written off, inmates – anonymous inmates no less.

It seems unlikely that even the most ardent law and order advocate truly feels that all those in prison don’t deserve to have their basic needs met. Under the circumstances, communication with family on the outside is arguably a basic need. It can also lead to the healing of wounds, to re-opening lines of communication, to fostering hope and maybe, just maybe, easing the transition to free life again one day.

Over the years, Folding Angels expanded its scope and today donates to the Boys and Girls Ranch, the Ronald McDonald house and more. The group meets the second Saturday of every month from September to May at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

Folding Angels quietly demonstrates some of the better aspects of human nature, and for that, they deserve the community’s respect.