Angel Trees and Giving Trees
December 1, 2018
Julianne Shenk
JBS Nonprofit Consulting
I recently received a message asking me about Angel Trees
and Giving Trees and their legitimacy. I am hoping to answer some of those
questions in a broad way. Each town, school, church, etc. is different. For the
purposes of this blog, I will use the term “giving tree” as Angel Tree is a
specific term for the tree used by and copyrighted by The Salvation Army (which
I will also touch upon in this blog).
Many churches/temples/synagogues have a giving tree or
similar program to help less fortunate families have a nice Christmas/Hanukah. My opinion, is that these are legitimate programs
to help those in need. Your religious institution looks for members of the
congregation and local community to find those in need. You know indirectly (or
directly if your church and those families choose to publish that information)
where your donation is going.
Many grocery stores, libraries, and other city buildings,
etc. also participate in giving programs. If it is not made clear as to where
your donation is going, or who your donation is helping…ask. Ask questions.
The Salvation Army has the most well-known giving program,
The Angel Tree.
“The true impact of the Great Recession is tough to
measure. Americans have lost money, jobs and homes. Our families and friends
may have fallen on hard times. Some who had little to begin with now have less
and are working harder every day to make it to tomorrow. These same families
who are struggling to meet the financial demands of day-to-day life question
how they might provide a gift or two for their children on Christmas Day. Every
child deserves to experience the joy of Christmas morning. And thanks to
supporters of The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, thousands of
American children will find this waiting under their Christmas trees this year.
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program provides new clothing or toys for
children of needy 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.”[1]
To support an angel in your town, please go to: https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/usc/locations
To sponsor a tree or sign up to volunteer, follow the same
link.
I hope this helps a little in the discussion of giving
trees. If you are able, please consider helping an angle in need this year.
