Operation Angel Tree a heavenly success

As 200 families lined up to receive their gifts and necessities Friday morning from the Boys and Girls Club, 1315 SW F, everyone was filled with the holiday spirit.

As jazzy Christmas songs played, excited volunteers lined up to grab a cart and overfill it with family bags of gifts such as Barbies, scooters, bikes and TVs while also receiving necessities such as diapers. After picking up the gifts for 621 angels from the gym, they went outside to distribute them to the line of cars that lined up for several blocks.

Families lined up to receive a number, which would be announced over a walkie-talkie where a volunteer would push it out to it’s new owner.

Susan Nance with the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary said one thing new done this year is online registration.

“That is a good thing for parents who can’t get here that are able to do it online,” Nance said.

Known as Operation Angel Tree, this distribution was the culmination of the Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary’s Angel Tree program that took place at the Sheridan Walmart in late November. In a previous article, families registered their children to be placed on the tree. Others would pick an angel or more off the tree, buy the gifts they want or need and bring them back to the table.

Days before the deadline to pick an angel, it didn’t seem like the goal would be reached. Capt. Tracy Brinlee, one of the Salvation Army officers, said otherwise.

“Every year, there’s always some angels left on the tree, then you put a plea to the community,” Brinlee said. “On Dec. 7, we still had 50 angels that needed to be adopted. So, Walmart started announcing it every hour on the hour and within 30 minutes, they were gone after the first announcement. By 6 p.m., all angels were adopted.”

Brinlee loved seeing the looks on everyone’s faces when they received their presents.

“They’re just overwhelmed with what was bought for their children,” Brinlee said.