Salvation Army’s Angel Gift Tree short of goal, asks for community’s help

Published: Updated:

There’s a plea for your help this holiday season.

A program that’s gives children in need around Southwest Florida Christmas gifts, is coming up short of their goal.

Organizers behind the Salvation Army’s Angel Gift Tree say they still need presents for more than a thousand children.

The organization says they will have to dip into its budget to keep its promise to deliver a gift to every family on its Christmas list.

We’re still two weeks away from Christmas eve and already staff and volunteers are working around the clock to make every dream come true.

Salvation Army Major Charlotte Gargas and her team of Christmas elves are working around the clock, “We are Santa’s workshop working feverishly through our angel tree gift and Christmas distribution.”

To make sure no child is left behind this Christmas.

“We’re taking all of the angels that are on the angel trees around the area, inventorying the bags, and then filling the bags with other things,” said volunteer Patrick Rookie.

Rookie said he has spent the last several weeks packaging and organizing rows of gifts, all to be delivered to thousands of children across Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties.

“We are committed to filling 4,000 angels or children’s wishes for Christmas,” Gargas added.

But with the holiday quickly approaching, the Salvation Army said they’ve got a crisis on their hands.

Hundreds of people who took an angel from a Salvation Army Angel tree have not returned them with gifts.

“We need toys,” Rookie said. “Were running low on toys to fill these bags.”

So now they need your help – while there’s still time.

They say what they really need is for people to return their angels if they have them with their gifts intact.

“We don’t want any child to wake up on Christmas morning feeling forgotten,” Gargas  said.

The deadline for everyone to return gifts has now been extended to Friday, December 13.

You can also adopt an angel or make a donation online by clicking here.

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