‘Angel Tree’ Outreach Provides Christmas To Needy Families

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Shoppers at The Mall at Barnes Crossing can help make Christmas brighter for children in need.

The Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” went up in the mall’s food court.  The tree is decorated with numbered paper angel tags.  Each tag has the age and gender of a child in need of presents.  Participants remove one or more tags from the tree and buy the gifts on the wish list.

The presents are returned to the collection box at the mall’s food court and they are sorted and given to parents one week before Christmas.

“This is children who may not get Christmas otherwise, we have parents who have lost their job, because there are some places closing, or cutting back hours and they truly need help and we do screen them, like I said, they have to bring their bills, income, everything in, so it’s not like they just walk in and say, I want to sign up,” said Susan Gilbert, with the Tupelo Salvation Army.

Each family receiving Angel Tree assistance must take a budgeting class.  Deadline to purchase gifts for the Angel Tree is December 8th.