The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Toy Distribution

Joe Lyons • December 20, 2022

The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Toy Distribution

The Salvation Army conducted their Christmas Angel Tree Toy distribution, combined with their food distribution, today. Each year, the Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for hundreds of children and seniors in need, across Ashland Country.

Angel Trees have been set up at different businesses, and a little Angle with each “Wish list” is put on the tree. Anyone can pick what wish they would help fulfill. The generosity of anonymous donors who adopt “angels” from the Angel Trees helps make the season more rewarding for the gift giver and gives a sense of community to the recipients.

If you need help getting in the Christmas spirit, you need to go no further than the Ashland Kroc Center. Between the Majors and the staff you will be singing Christmas carols and shouting Ho Ho Ho and a very Merry Christmas!

The Kroc Center has teamed up with local businesses such as Buckeye Car Wash, Head Start, Ashland Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Ashland County Sherriff Department, Ashland Learning Zone, Calvary Baptist Church, Charles River, Lippert, Bo Lacey, Victory Chiropractic, Ashland University, Ashland University Tennis, Z’s Hair Design, Pentair, Dollar Tree, Lake Erie Frozen Foods, Church of Christ, Liquibox, Donley Auto Group, Ashland/ Holmes Career Center, National Pride Car Wash, and Walmart/ Woodforest Bank. Dearman Moving & Storage provided us with a storage pod for gifts collected throughout the season, and let’s not forget our student volunteers from South Central High School.

The Salvation Army is most often recognized for the iconic red kettles seen during the Christmas season. However, many may not be aware that donations collected during the holidays do so much more than they think. Not only do these funds help provide gifts to children who would otherwise go without, but they also help provide a wide range of critical social services to more than 25 million Americans all year long.

Every day of the year, Salvation Army service centers across the country provide basic necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and financial assistance. During the holidays, these requests typically increase, and The Salvation Army relies on the generosity of the American public to ensure people have a roof over their heads, food on the table, lights on the tree, and heat in the home.

Although the holidays are often a time of joy, many families are unable to celebrate as they battle the effects of poverty. The ongoing impacts of the pandemic, inflation, evictions, job loss, and other challenges have increased the number of difficult decisions that more people have to make, such as paying bills or buying Christmas presents for their children. The Salvation Army is there to help those most in need.

Red Kettles: Now in its 132nd year, the annual Red Kettle Campaign is one of the longest-running and most recognizable fundraising efforts in the world. Donations to red kettles in the United States help support those in need through sheltering, after-school programs, addiction-recovery programs, summer camps, disaster assistance, and many other social services throughout the year.

A HUGE Thank you and a BIG Merry Christmas to Major Billy Francis and his wife Major Annalise Francis, and their Awesome staff at the Salvation Army Ashland Kroc Center.