About the
The Salvation Army of Cape Fea Angel Tree

Making a difference in your community…

The Angel Tree program has been assisting children since 1971.

Choose your angel, purchase your gift(s) and return to us on or before December 10th.

Angel tree drop off: Independence Mall, Any Salvation Army thrift store, Center of Hope 1410 William Booth Dr

Volunteers are always appreciated. Call our office 910-762-2070 to volunteer.


	Over 2000 children were helped with Christmas gifts in 2024

How Angel Tree Works

1

Social service agencies and schools refer families to The Salvation Army for help with Christmas. Participants are interviewed to verify that the family is truly in need.

2

We obtain the name of each child or special needs adult in the family and a list of desired Christmas gifts, and verify that the family is not receiving duplicate services from another agency.

3

Angel tags are printed for each individual and placed on Salvation Army Angel Trees at area malls and in local companies and organizations.

4

Generous Donors select Angels, purchase gifts, and return them to the Angel Tree by the given deadline on each tag.

5

Upon their return, the gifts are taken to a Salvation Army Christmas Distribution Center for pickup by the Angel families.

6

During the week of December 17th area families pick up their gifts.

3

Angel tags are printed for each individual and placed on Salvation Army Angel Trees at area malls and in local companies and organizations.

4

Generous Donors select Angels, purchase gifts, and return them to the Angel Tree by the given deadline on each tag.

5

Upon their return, the gifts are taken to a Salvation Army Christmas Distribution Center for pickup by the Angel families.

6

During the week of December 17th area families pick up their gifts.

5

Upon their return, the gifts are taken to a Salvation Army Christmas Distribution Center for pickup by the Angel families.

6

During the week of December 17th area families pick up their gifts.

A History Of Community Involvement

Along with the familiar Red Kettles, the Angel Tree program is one of The Salvation Army's highest profile Christmas efforts. Angel Tree was created by The Salvation Army in 1979 by Majors Charles and Shirley White when they worked with a Lynchburg, Virginia shopping mall to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time.

The program got its name because the Whites identified the wishes of local children by writing their gift needs on Hallmark greeting cards that featured pictures of angels. They placed the cards on a Christmas tree at the mall to allow shoppers to select children to help. Thanks to the Whites, who were assigned by The Army to the Lynchburg area at the time, more than 700 children had a brighter Christmas that first year.

Three years later, when the Whites were transferred to Nashville, Tennessee, Angel Tree was launched in the Music City. WSM radio, which airs the Grand Ol' Opry, came on board that year as the first Angel Tree co-sponsor in the U.S.

Because of the on-air promotion on WSM in Nashville, as well as national publicity on CNN and the Larry King Show, news of Angel Tree spread across the country like wildfire.