As the holiday season approaches, the Angel Tree program reminds the community of what generosity looks like by turning wish lists into moments of happiness for children who need it most. The program began in 1979 in Virginia by writing children’s needs and wants on angel-shaped cards and hanging them up for people to choose from. This first year was very successful, with 472 children being blessed with toys and, importantly, clothing.
To participate in this program, local Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs have Angel Trees where you can pick up a tag, shop for it, and then drop it off at the customer service desk. Shopping online for the item is also available. The Angel Tree program is very effective at ensuring that gifts are given to people who actually need them by conducting thorough background checks, including reviewing bills, leases, and mail. There are multiple ways to donate things other than gifts to these families, including donating money, starting a fundraiser, and volunteering. There is also another program called “Operation Christmas Child.” This program began in 1993 in England by the Samaritan Purse project. They collect shoebox gifts that include fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items, and deliver them to children in need. This program has successfully collected 11.9 million shoebox gifts globally.
Many people love to contribute to these programs around the holidays to make a difference. Allison Sabol, who has been involved in the Angel Tree program for 21 years, loves giving back. She feels so fortunate not to have these everyday worries that some families have, so she wants to make their experiences better. “The thought of children waking up on Christmas morning to no presents really upsets me. I never want kids to think that they were bad all year, so they didn’t get gifts, when in reality, their parents just couldn’t afford it,” Sabol said. “Every kid deserves a good Christmas,” Sabol added. By giving back to the community, she wants families to know that there are good people out there to help support them during hard times. As she donates every year, the process is simple; she picks up a few tags from either Walmart, shops for them, and drops them right back off at the store. Out of all the gifts she has donated, there is one that still sticks with her. “I think my most memorable gift was pink bedsheets for a four-year-old girl. Her card said that she didn’t have much, and just knowing that there was a little girl out there who didn’t even have sheets really upset me,” said Sabol. As Allison tries to inspire people to donate every day, she gives them the following advice, “Do it. If you have the money to do it, please help. It means so much to these parents and families and helps them out in so many ways.”
Contributing to the community, Pennridge High School participates in a holiday program of its own. Social workers at Pennridge, Joe Werner, Dawn Hoopes, and Alicia Landgraf have been helping with the program for about nine years. They try their hardest to make a huge difference for families around the holidays to make sure everyone receives a Christmas that lightens the pressure and decreases stress during a tough period of time. The efforts that they make include the “giving tree,” where staff try to contribute by giving community resources like food and clothing. “Our number one priority is helping families in need. This is not our full-time job, so being a team member and constantly supporting is much needed to help coordinate the process,” Werner explains.
As Werner, Hoopes, and Landgraf’s roles come from inside the school, they also come from outside. A lot of people go to Pennridge FISH first, a volunteer-run charitable organization that provides food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance to low-income households within the Pennridge School District, to see what the people can do from there. Helping people who are in need brings excitement and joy, but then also comes with challenges. “The parents being at work a lot of the time causes communication to become more difficult, so everything has to be done promptly, especially with the Thanksgiving break coming up, giving us less time to get everything together,” Werner said. “Our goal is to reach the most people in the highest need, so by helping where we can, we know we are helping the right people at the right time.” Keeping up with these programs takes a lot of effort, so by keeping it alive, Hoopes and Werner want to send the message that, “by donating to community programs, we couldn’t thank you enough. It takes a village, so please help out wherever you can.” The Angel Tree program continues to grow each year by adapting to the needs and dynamics of the community. Every year is different, but the program adjusts to what’s happening around to work and help with families who need it most.
