(MOBILE, Ala.) The Salvation Army will then distribute your generous donations to needy families in our area.
Somehow, in the midst of this holiday rush we're in, Yvonne Burroughs and her family still manage to come to the Salvation Army warehouse and sort and assemble toys. for the third year in a row!
"Of course it's rewarding, so you always want to give back because you've been blessed," she said. "You want to give back, so this is our way, and it's really rewarding work and a lot of fun."
They're doing this for people they don't even know. This year, the Salvation Army is starting to sweat it's annual Angel Tree program. That effort that provides new toys, clothes and food for families that might go without. That's why this Friday's LOCAL 15 Spirit of Giving event is so important. Maj. Alan Hill and his wife Belinda are concerned.
"We're already over 2,000 children," Maj. Hill said. "So when you start looking at those kinds of number, you start wondering, is this possible? I get kind of nervous at this time."
"When you look at the child that's going to receive that toy, to them, that's the world, and if the world isn't treating them very nice, they have a bleak look on life," he said.
Here's how we fix this: While you're shopping this week, pick up a new, unwrapped toy or a piece of new clothing for a child and donate it to our the Salvation Army during our Spirit of Giving campaign this Friday. It means more work for volunteer Patricia Lee, but she says, bring it on.
"Well, you're supposed to give," she said. "It's what Jesus was all about, love and giving."
Major Hill says the most overlooked age group is the 10 to 12 year olds. He says soccer balls, basketballs and footballs are always a great donation, and bikes are always in big demand.
