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Salvation Army sees increasing
demand for services, needs donations for Christmas program
By Val Clifton
December 09, 2008
Houston Community Newspapers
The slowing economy has increased the need
for assistance, but at the same time, there is a decrease in
supply.
The same is true for the Salvation Army, which has found that
two factors have lead to a lull in donations for their Angel
Tree Christmas Assistance Program.
“Here in Houston, we’ve kind of had a double whammy where we
were dealing with the economy and we’re finding that there are a
lot of families that are asking for assistance,” said Media
Manager Juan Alanis.
Through the Angel Tree program, disadvantaged families register
their children for Christmas gifts through The Salvation Army.
The nonprofit organization then creates a wish list of gifts for
the registered children and uses the Angel Tree tags, which hang
as ornaments on actual Christmas trees at area malls, to seek
willing donors who can purchase the desired gifts.
The Angel Tree
tags display a child’s age, their clothes size, and a short list
of the gifts they would like to receive for Christmas. Shoppers
may purchase all the items on a child’s wish list or donate
extra gifts they may have purchased while shopping.
The Salvation Army is asking area residents and corporations to
donate new, unwrapped gifts for their Angel Tree Christmas
assistance program.
Alanis said the program is one of their greatest events of the
year. Last year they collected gifts for more than 23,000
children and seniors. They hope they can bring that number to
25,000 this year.
“We’re asking people to give what they can,” Alanis said. “It’s
important to remember that while we may be struggling, there are
people who are having a more difficult time.”
For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit
www.SalvationArmyHouston.org. |
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