The Salvation Army Christmas Angel Tree and Adopt-A-Family Program

The Salvation Army in Ottawa, Illinois 117 Years of Service to LaSalle County ANGEL TREE PROGRAM Every child deserves to experience the joy of Christmas morning. And thanks to supporters of The Salvation Army?s Angel Tree program, hundreds of local children will find this waiting under their Christmas trees this year. The Salvation Army?s Angel Tree program provides toys and gifts for children and a food basket for the families through the support of donors. Found in local companies and corporations, Angel Trees are decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a child in need of presents. Contributors remove one or more tags from the tree and purchase appropriate gifts for the child or children described on the tags. If you and your organization, church, business or club would like to sponsor an Angel Tree in your community, please contact your local Salvation Army office in Ottawa at 815-433-0798. Angel Trees will be located at Walmart and Burger King in Ottawa and Walmart, Applebees, and Rural King in Peru. ADOPT-A-FAMILY The Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program matches impoverished families with individual or group sponsors to provide for their tangible needs at Christmas. Without the benefit of an adoption, these families would be looking forward to a very grim holiday. Being adopted is designed to be a once or, on very rare occasions, twice in a lifetime event for recipient families. When an Adopt-A-Family match is made, the family information and wish lists are sent to the sponsor. The Salvation Army ensures that the family receives the gifts and food during the week before Christmas. Sponsors come in many shapes and sizes. They can be individuals, families, small businesses or large corporations. In many of the larger corporations, different departments often each adopt a family. Many sponsors find the experience so fulfilling that they participate in the program year after year.