Salvation Army extends drop-off for Angel Tree gifts until Friday
The Salvation Army has extended the deadline for donating Angel Tree gifts until Friday.
“We expect some people to still come in and donate items,” said Lt. Bernadette Correira, co-director of the Salvation Army in Texarkana. “We ask people to have them in by Friday, so we’re extending it a little bit for the public to bring in their last minute gifts. They’ve been steadily coming in since (Tuesday). Our warehouse is very full.”
Gifts can be dropped off at 510 Walton Drive, Texarkana, Texas, next to The Bedding Mart.
There are still angels on some of the trees around town, but people can also participate by picking up general gift items.
“We need items for 8 to 11 year olds. Anything from Legos to play make-up, nail polish for girls and coloring books for that age group,” Correira said. “A lot of kids are asking for Ninja Turtle items for boys, footballs, action figures, things like that.”
Bicycles are also a nice gift.
“We’ve had people come in and donate a bike to a specific age group, not necessarily a specific child,” Correira said.
Correira and volunteers are getting all the items organized for the distribution day Wednesday. She is hopeful there will only be a small number of children not taken care of by the community.
The Salvation Army will buy presents for them.
“Right now we’re still counting. I’m hoping we’re not going to have any forgotten angels, but I expect it to be less than 100,” Correira said. “The forgotten angels we will fill ourselves. … We make sure they still get a good Christmas.” Gifts for seniors are still needed too. “We did have about 30 seniors, and we are still needing some of those in. The majority don’t really ask for much. They usually ask for robes, slippers, socks or bedding and blankets,” Correira said.
Volunteers are needed to help on distribution day and are asked to arrive at the warehouse before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.
“There are a lot of people who donated gifts who are coming in to help distribute. It’s really special to be here and they want to see their faces light up,” Correira said.
The Angel Tree program wouldn’t be possible without all the support from the community.
“Overall the effort is great. We are so blessed in having the amount of items come in we did. The response has been awesome. People are coming in and seeing the number of angels helped this year. I would like to public to see where all their support is going. It really is a behind-the-scenes-effort,” Correira said.