The Salvation Army of Greenville Asks Community to Adopt Angels for Christmas
This year, more than 1,700 children in Greenville are at risk of not having a single gift to open on Christmas morning. The Salvation Army of Greenville has opened its annual Adopt an Angel program, which helps bring joy to children by providing gifts and clothes on a child’s wish list this Christmas.
The Salvation Army of Greenville social services team interviews each family applying and qualifying for Angel Tree assistance to better understand their needs, and obtain a wish list for childrens’ gifts. Then, generous donors select Angels from the list, purchase gifts, and return them to one of the Salvation Army drop-off locations by the specified deadline on the tag. Families are then able to accept the gifts in December at the Christmas Distribution Day at the Greenville Convention Center.
“We continue to see an influx of need from families struggling to make ends meet in our community,” said Lauren Stephens, Director of Social Services for The Salvation Army of Greenville. “By adopting an Angel from our Angel Tree, you’re providing a beacon of hope for these children, who otherwise would go without this holiday.”
Along with the familiar Red Kettles, the Angel Tree program is one of The Salvation Army's highest profile Christmas efforts. The Angel Tree program was created by The Salvation Army in 1979 by Majors Charles and Shirley White when they worked with a Lynchburg, Virginia shopping mall to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time.
Individuals and groups can adopt one or more angels online by visiting SalvationArmyGreenville.org, or by selecting a tag from the Christmas tree at The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center located at 42 Westfield St. in downtown Greenville.