Salvation Army Begins Holiday Gift Drives in Washtenaw County

The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County (TSA-WC) has launched its annual holiday programs to help make Christmas erry for local less fortunate families. The nonprofit is currently seeking community support and donations for its Adopt-a-Family, Angel Tree and WAAM 1600 FM toy drive programs.

"With 16.8 percent of Michigan residents living in poverty, many local families simply aren’t able to provide a gift for their child to open on Christmas morning,” said TSA-WC coordinator Maj. John Williams. “With support from our community, we can do the most good to help make Christmas erry for those who need it most.”

Adopt-a-Family

This year’s Adopt-a-Family program will run Nov. 1-Dec. 2 and the Salvation Armys' goal is to adopt 300 families. Any individual, family, business, school group, church or other organization can sponsor a local family in need. Adopt-a-Family sponsors provide families with a Christmas dinner, gifts and clothing for children and household items. Adoptable families range in size from two to more than 10, and the Salvation Army will match those interested based on support level and need. Sponsors can also choose to adopt a local senior citizen. For information, call 734-668-8353.

Angel Tree

The Salvation Army's annual Angel Tree runs Nov. 1-Dec. 9 and allows community members to select an angel tag with a local child’s age, gender, size and suggested gift items. Trees will be located at several area retailers including Briarwood Mall and Kmart in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. All Angel Tree gifts should be returned unwrapped to the same tree location by Dec. 9. Gifts collected through this program are distributed to families who applied for Christmas assistance through the Salvation Army. Parents are invited to attend a toy shop, where they “shop” and pick out Christmas gifts for their children.

WAAM 1600 Toy Drive

For the fifth consecutive year, the Salvation Army and WAAM Talk Radio 1600 have partnered to collect 1,600 toys. From Nov. 10-Dec. 12 a variety of area businesses will display collection boxes for the community to donate new, unwrapped toys for children newborn through 14. Drop-off boxes can be found at stores such as USA Hockey in Ann Arbor, Tree Town Toys in Ann Arbor and Kmart in Ypsilanti, among many others throughout Washtenaw County. Gifts and clothing for tweens and teens such as sports equipment or fashion accessories are especially needed.

For more information on Salvation Army holiday programs, visit www.sawashtenaw.org or call 734-668-8353.