Only 56 days remain until Christmas, and once again the Newton Chamber is asking residents to consider sharing the holiday spirit with children in need by adopting an angel from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
The Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for children who might otherwise not receive anything. Each year, the Salvation Army allows needy families to register their children and what they want for Christmas. That information is then written on an angel and placed on the angel tree. Residents participating in the Angel Tree program can select an angel, purchase a gift and return it to the Newton Chamber to be given to that child.
Newton Chamber director Emily Pugh said this will be the third year they’ve hosted an Angel Tree and each year had been a resounding success.
“In the past we’ve had over 55, 60 angels,” she said. “This year we’re going to be looking at around 45 angels. We’re excited because we get to help not just our local kids but some of the kids from surrounding counties.”
Pugh said the Newton County Angel Tree has never failed to have all it’s angels adopted by the community, meaning each child on the list received a gift for Christmas. This year, she said, only 10 angels were registered from Newton County, so the Chamber decided to take angels from other counties as well.
“If there’s a surrounding county that always has an abundance of angels that don’t get adopted or they just need a little help, we’re going to adopt about 30 or so of those angels so that our community is still able to give back and fulfill the needs of those children,” she said.
Gifts can be returned wrapped or unwrapped, however each gift for a particular angel will need to have the angel number on it to make sure it gets to the right child.
Additionally, Pugh said, if all angels are adopted or if residents don’t want to adopt an angel, the Newton Chamber will also be accepting extra gifts to send to the Salvation Army. Although the Salvation Army tries to have every angel adopted each year, that doesn’t always happen, Pugh said. Any additional gifts will be sent to the Salvation Army to be given to a child whose angel was not adopted or not returned in time.
The Newton County Angel Tree will be put up starting Nov. 12, Pugh said, with angels needing to be returned by Dec. 10. Residents are invited to stop by the Depot at their convenience beginning Nov. 12 to select their angel.
For those unable to make it to the Newton Depot, Pugh said she is willing to bring the angels to them. Residents needing angels delivered are encouraged to contact the Newton Chamber on Facebook.
Newton County has shown it’s giving spirit through two previous years of Angel Tree giving, Pugh said. This year, she said she invites the community to participate again, helping those in need and making sure every child has a merry Christmas.
