USA—ARKANSAS Angel Trees from the Salvation Army are going up in stores all over Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley. This year, there are a few different ways you can help, such as giving online or adopting an angel from a tree in a shop.
Angels are cards with a child’s Christmas list, clothes sizes, and where to return the gifts after you finish shopping for Christmas. You can find them at stores in the area.
The Salvation Army said that this year the Angel Tree program has 2,000 kids in Northwest Arkansas and 400 kids in the River Valley.
A Salvation Army officer in Fort Smith named Capt. Stephanie Hargis said that several angels are taken every year and not returned with gifts.
Adgis said, “There are a lot of different reasons why.” Some people ask us what to do if that happens because they might have lost their tag or been sick and not been able to turn it in on time.
There are people who hold toy drives and people who just bring us things they got on Black Friday, but you can also go to the Angel Tree Registry.
Angel Tree on the web
This year, you can use the online Angel Tree Registry instead. Online shoppers can support the Angel Tree program by visiting the registers for Angel Tree of the River Valley or Angel Tree of Northwest Arkansas. There, they can choose some of the most-asked-for toys to give to the Salvation Army program in their area.
Families whose angels are not returned will still have gifts on Christmas morning thanks to the gifts bought from the list.
“The Walmart registry option is very important because without it, as distribution day approaches and we find out how many are not returned, it could make us feel very uneasy as we wonder, ‘How are these kids going to get looked after?'” It was Hargis.
“We really appreciate people who take the time to adopt an angel, give it back, and buy things from the registry so that every child wakes up to a happy Christmas.”
Dec. 9 is the last day to adopt an angel or return the gifts in Northwest Arkansas. It’s December 10 in the River Valley. At the Salvation Army’s distribution day on Dec. 19, gifts will be given to the families in both areas.