Salvation Army taking Angel Tree applications, seeking sponsors

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·2 min read

Oct. 11—SOUTHERN INDIANA — The Salvation Army of Southern Indiana is encouraging families in need to apply for the Angel Tree program.

Applications opened Oct. 1 for Angel Tree, and the organization is still trying to get the word out. Catherine Fitzgerald, corps officer with the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana, said the nonprofit has recently seen increased needs in the community.

So far, 609 families have applied, and the nonprofit is expecting to serve about 1,400 families and 3,000 children in Southern Indiana. The Salvation Army chapter serves families in Floyd, Clark, Harrison, Scott, Crawford and Washington counties.

The Angel Tree program will provide families with clothes and toys for children, along with gift cards for families to buy Christmas meals.

The applications will either close Oct. 31 or when the applications include a total of 3,000 kids, according to Fitzgerald.

Sponsors for the Angel Tree are needed to support the 3,000 children the Salvation Army expects to serve. The Salvation Army is particularly in need of commitment from businesses, churches or other groups who will be able to sponsor a large number of families.

Fitzgerald said requests for assistance are "sky-high" in Southern Indiana as families use the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana's food pantry and seek utility assistance.

Families are struggling with inflation, and many are finding it difficult to find the right job, she said.

"Many are just struggling to find jobs that are enough for what their family needs," she said. "It's a weird thing, because there's a lot of jobs open, but not necessarily the jobs that are going to really make ends meet for families and their children."

Although the Angel Tree program is the main focus, the Salvation Army of Southern Indiana also wants to provide holiday assistance for seniors in need through Christmas food baskets, and she encourages those seniors to reach out to the New Albany office.

It's important for people to go ahead and consider whether they will be in need of the Angel Tree program this holiday season, Fitzgerald said.

"I know it's really hard for people, and we hope they are already thinking about Christmas even though it's only October," she said. "It takes a little while for us to get it all together."

The Red Kettle campaign will kick off in November. The Angel Tree distribution to families in Clark and Floyd counties will take place Dec. 9 and 10 at the Salvation Army office on Green Valley Road in New Albany.

To apply for the local Angel Tree program, families can go to saangeltree.org or call the Salvation Army's New Albany office at 812-944-1018.