The Salvation Army is a religious charitable organization founded in 1865 that provides food, shelter and support to the hungry, needy and those in crisis. The Salvation Army began a Christmas Angel Tree program to give the public a chance to adopt "angels" representing a low-income child or senior, and to donate Christmas gifts for that individual.
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an evangelical Christian charity organization that ministers to the poor and needy worldwide. It was founded in London at the end of the Industrial Revolution to give destitute men, women and children a place to go for physical and moral support. Salvation Army officers serve in many of the poorest countries in the world as well as some of the most blighted neighborhoods in major cities in the U.S. and Europe. The Salvation Army is a Section 501(C) tax exempt nonprofit organization, so all donations (including Christmas Angel gifts) are tax deductible if you itemize deductions on your tax filing.
Salvation Army Christmas Programs
The Salvation Army has been involved in Christmas charity work for 120 years, as founder William Booth was the bell-ringer at the first of the now familiar red Christmas Kettles in London in 1891. Salvation Army missions worldwide all serve a free Christmas dinner open to all comers. The Salvation Army started another Christmas charity program, the Angel Tree program, in 1979.
The Angel Tree Program
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program places "Angel Trees" at major businesses such as malls and banks, where individuals or groups can choose "Angels" from the Angel Tree. Each Angel is a card that has a Christmas wish list for a needy child or senior citizen. There is no set amount to spend, but donors are encouraged to provide both clothing items (sizes listed on the Angel card) as well as toys or other gifts. Donors should save their receipts, as money spent on Christmas Angel gifts is potentially tax deductible.
Community Impact
The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree Program has grown rapidly from its first year in Lynchburg, Virginia, when 700 needy children received gifts, to a nationwide program in more than 20 cities providing 200,000 children and seniors with Christmas cheer in 2009. A new nationwide online Christmas Angel Tree program, working together with retailer JCPenney, accounted for more than 40,000 of the total Christmas Angels donated in 2009.
Tags: Salvation Army, Angel Tree, Christmas Angel, Angel Tree program, Army Christmas, Christmas Angel Tree