Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program prepares for return to West Tennessee

JACKSON, Tenn. — One program that is all about giving back is once again returning across the country, and especially in the Jackson area.

Beginning in the 1970s, the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program aims to help families have a wonderful Christmas season. Major John Edmonds says that it would not be possible without the giving mindset that people have.

“We only can do it with the community. So what people do is they go and take an angel off of one of our trees. We don’t put the child’s full name on there for privacy reasons, but they can go and buy gifts. Suggested items are on there for what the child is needing or wanting for Christmas,” said Major Edmonds.

If you are wanting to register your child, they need to be between the ages of 0 to 15. There are a few different ways you will be able to register.

“There will be 2 forms of sign-ups. There will be a link that we send people to, but right now people can just call our offices and we will direct them on how they can sign up. Because some of the families that we work with don’t necessarily have the technology to sign up, and so we will do some paper applications. They can just call the office. The number is 731-422-1271,” said Bria Swaringham, POH program manager for the Salvation Army.

Swaringam says this has been incredibly successful over the years in our area. She went on to say that many people will get their whole family involved to go pick out items for the angel tree.

“We do this every year and it’s such a beautiful time for the community. I think everybody loves Christmas. When you come from a family that’s very fortunate where you can purchase gifts for your kids, it feels great to help a family that may not be able to make Christmas great for their kids,” said Swaringam.

The Salvation Army serves the community all year long with feeding programs, social services programs, and many more.

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