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Families are struggling, “particularly in this economy,” Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte Major Andrew Wiley said. “They are struggling to just make ends meet – pay the rent, put food on the table for their kids.”
“And all it takes is one unplanned expense – a car repair, a child gets sick – and then all of a sudden they are just really struggling,” Wiley told The Charlotte Observer in a recent interview.
Then come the holidays.
“ ’Do I pay the rent, do I buy groceries, or do I buy gifts for my kids?’ ” they ask, Wiley said. “I think that’s a real struggle, a real dilemma for a lot of people that we serve.”
Angel Tree and the Observer’s Empty Stocking Fund
The Salvation Army’s annual Christmas programs, and the people who donate and volunteer, are there to help, he said. That’s where the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program comes in. The program matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy them presents for Christmas, and provides senior citizens with gifts.
In cases where donors don’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund. The Observer has sponsored the fund since about 1920.
In the past seven years, the Empty Stocking Fund has raised over $1 million thanks to Observer readers and their generous spirit. Last year, they gave $118,405.
The Angel Tree program is helping 1,600 families in Mecklenburg and Union counties this holiday season, including at least 3,500 children, Salvation Army officials said
Money from the 2024 Empty Stocking Fund campaign also bought 4,604 toys for this year’s effort, as well as gift cards for seniors, foster children and adults with disabilities.
Wiley and his wife, Major Hazel Wiley, are the area commanders of The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.
“Through our Christmas programs, I like to say to people, we don’t just provide toys for children on Christmas morning. We provide joy for those parents,” Andrew Wiley said. “Because they are able to see their children wake up on Christmas morning to gifts under the tree that otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
For people buying gifts for the Angel Tree program, Wiley suggests items they’d purchase for their kids.
Still not sure?
“Hit that toy section, and you’re going to see what the latest things are.” Wiley said. “But usually things that are interactive, things that are educational in nature. Certainly clothing. And then we have seen several requests this year (for) sensory toys for children with disabilities.”
Over 3,500 kids will get gifts
The Salvation Army has a new location this year for its Christmas Center, at 4300 South Blvd., near where parents who registered for the program picked up gifts for their children last year.
Toys were delivered to the center the week of Nov. 17.
“We’ll have 3,500 or more children that we’ll provide Christmas for,” Wiley said. “That’s a huge volume, so just trying to have the resources to make all of that happen” is a challenge.
“We’ll do roughly 1,700 seniors, provide Christmas for them as well,” he said. “When you look at all we’re trying to do, it’s resourcing it in a time when things are tight for a lot of people.”
Community backing “really does make a huge difference,” he said.
“If ever there’s a time we need them to support the Empty Stocking Fund, it’s now,” Wiley said. “Things have just been really tight. The economy has gone through the roof. Everything is so expensive. We just see a lot of families struggling.”
Helping them is his greatest joy, he said.
“The joy … that I can wake up on Christmas morning, sit down in my recliner and know that children across our area are waking up to gifts under the tree because of the work that we’ve done, the support that the community has given us and allowed us to do that work.
“Some people might say, ‘well, it’s just a toy,’ ” he said. “You’re providing a gift that will last a lifetime.”
How to donate to the Empty Stocking Fund
To donate online, visit Empty Stocking Fund CLT.org.
To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, PO Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.
Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-334-4731.
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Joe Marusak
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