Salvation Army hands out over 500 bags of gifts to families in need in Troup County
Dec 17, 2021 | by Toni Baraka
LaGRANGE, Ga. (WRBL) – The Salvation Army held their annual Angel Tree program in LaGrange on Dec. 14-15, 2021. With the help of many donations, they gifted many families in Troup County with Christmas gifts for their children.
Lisa Martin, the Troup County Service Center Director, said the Angel Tree program has been taking place in Troup County for at least three years. The Salvation Army typically distributes gifts to both West Point and LaGrange.
"This is one of the best things of the job, is this time of year when we're helping all the kids who just otherwise would not have had Christmas," said Martin.
The Salvation Army reaches out to many churches, organizations like KIA and the Walmart Distribution Center to receive donations for the program. This year, over 500 bags of gifts were given out to families in Troup County.
Parents must complete an application online describing their child's wants and needs in order to be eligible to receive gifts. If approved, they receive a day and time to pick up the gifts for their children.
Martin said she received help from volunteers like Troup High School students and the Troup County Sheriff's Office to organize all the donations and distribute the gifts to families at the time of their appointments.
Joy Burnham, the Office Manager at the Troup County Sheriff's Office, has been volunteering for the Angel Tree program for four years. She said her favorite part is seeing the joy on people's faces when they are handed the gifts.
"I'm just happy that our community can do stuff like this because it's just filling to know that we live in a city that can help people," said Burnham.
Any gifts not distributed to Troup County families this year will be donated to victims of the Kentucky tornadoes or to families in Meriwether County.
