Christmas Angels
Parisa Amini
The Christmas Angels program held by the Salvation Army is under way at malls across the Valley and the trees are waiting.
It’s the time for giving, and considering other who are less fortunate.
Every year, the Salvation Army headquarters in Phoenix opens their doors for families to apply to be a part of the Christmas Angels program.
The program helps families have a better holiday season by distributing toys and food to low-income homes.
As many as 500 families were expected to attend the first day of registration.
Because of high demand and the number of families who applied, the registration process closed two weeks early.
This is the largest program of its kind in Arizona.
Every year, the Salvation Army takes volunteers to sit at stations in malls across Arizona where people can go pick an angel from the Christmas trees set-up.
This year, the Salvation Army and JCPenney have teamed up to make giving this season much easier with the first ever, online Angel Giving Tree program.
Maj. George Hood, the national community relations and development secretary for the Salvation Army, said he was pleased with the launch of the new program.
“We are excited about this new online Angel Giving Tree program with JCPenney that will allow the Salvation Army to build upon a great Christmas tradition by reaching a new online audience,” Hood said.
Through the Web site JCP.com/angel, people can adopt an angel until Dec. 14 by entering their zip code and selecting the age range and gender of the child they wish to buy a gift.
The user is then directed to a page where they can select which child they would like to ‘adopt.’
Once the short process is complete, a confirmation e-mail is sent, and the person can shop directly online for the gift the child has asked for.
The online Angel Giving Tree program adds to the Christmas Angels program that has been in operation for more than 40 years.
Mike Boylson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for JCPenney, said the program will make it easier for people to give this holiday season.
“Launching this program with the Salvation Army allows us to elevate our support for a cause that is extremely important to our customers and Associates, underscoring our focus on the ‘Joy of Giving’ this holiday season,” Boylson said.
The Salvation Army serves nearly 30 million Americans every year with programs like this.
