As we enter the season of giving, millions of Americans are participating in the Angel Tree program, which was created by the Salvation Army, the Angel Tree to give disadvantaged children the Christmas they might not get otherwise. These children are generally in the age range of newborns to age 13, but you can also shop for senior citizens! That’s right: Seniors who are age 62 and older and in need of assistance or live alone can also be part of the Angel Tree program.
History of the Angel Tree program
The Angel Tree program began in 1979 in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it was the creation of the Marine Corps. Officers Lieutenant Colonel Shirley White and her husband, Charles White. The couple owned a toy shop and they provided children with toys, but there was a dire need for clothing to give to underprivileged children.
“We thought we could put the names of kids on this and the size of their clothing, and it would go on an Angel Tree,” Shirley recalled. “We bought the cards and cut them apart, and the mall helped us type children’s names on the angels and put them on the tree.”
That first Christmas, 472 children were blessed with new clothing—a number Shirley said was “etched in my mind.”
The variety of gifts has changed over the years, starting out as just clothing but evolving into almost anything a child might need, from beds to bicycles, toys and more. It’s also evolved in the sense of accepting gifts for seniors. Items like warm blankets, socks, toiletries and even gift cards for groceries and gas are all things you might find on a tag for a senior Angel Tree recipient.
“I am amazed. That’s all you can say,” said Shirley. “It’s a hand of God thing, for this to work so quickly to help so many people. It was just an impossibility to think it would go this far. Now, 40 years later—wow.”
How to participate in an Angel Tree donation
Taking part in this incredible program is simple. You’ll find the trees in various locations, from your local Salvation Army to your nearest Walmart or shopping mall. All you need to do is find one of these trees, select an ‘Angel’ tag from the tree and purchase the gifts written on the tag. Wrap up your selection and deliver it to the same location you got the tag.
But if you’d prefer to participate in a different way, there are options. For one, you can arrange a donation via the internet, by finding your local Salvation Army, shopping online and having the gifts delivered directly to that location. You can also choose to make a monetary donation, which the Salvation Army will use to purchase gifts for children and seniors.
Two TikTok users who participated in an Angel Tree donation for seniors shared in a video, “I just have to think they are also someone’s little boy or somebody’s little girl… we hope that this makes peoples Christmas a little more joyful this year.”
However you participate, giving back to those in need this holiday season is exactly what it’s all about!
