The Angels of Christmas
"After doing it for this amount of years, it’s not that I am surprised that people are generous, it’s just overwhelming. We’ve had people show up with a vanload of Tickle Me Elmo, boxes of candy canes, warm hats and mittens - things we were not expecting,” recounts Pam Ward.
“In fact, when we register our families for holiday assistance, many parents only ask if the child could have a coat, then you have to coax them to give toy suggestions as they are just so grateful for what they get and are shy to ask for anything beyond the basics,” Ward adds.
Pam Ward and her sister Gloria Molitor are known as “The Christmas Angels” at The Salvation Army Tri-City Corps. For almost a decade they have been working to brighten lives and bring joy to families that are encountering hardship. From working with angel tree tags, interviewing parents to uncover what needs they’re currently facing, to finding donors to purchase gifts and adopt families - these sisters are angels to many during the holiday season.
“Holiday assistance sign-up is so special to me because I see people that I usually encounter only once a year,'' Ward remarked. “Since I know their stories, it is music to my ears to hear how their health has improved or they were able to move to a better location - seeing how the Lord has been working in each of their lives.”
Ward and Molitor both grew up in the Tri-Cities, which is why they love to give back in this community. Ward adds, “Growing up, I passed The Salvation Army a couple of times a week. I knew it was Christian, but I thought it was a band that rang bells. I had no idea what they did with the money that went into the kettles until I started volunteering. I love the fact that it’s a church and am encouraged that on any given day you can go there and there are volunteers not only from The Salvation Army but from other churches, corporations, service organizations, and the local community.”
One of the many churches that The Tri-City Corps partners with is St. Mark’s Church in Geneva. Lisa Aiston of St. Marks coordinates the Adopt-A-Family partnership with The Salvation Army and speaks about the wonderful feeling she gets on the very last day seeing how the nursery is packed with gifts for those in need. “The Lord has blessed me with an education, food, housing, and an ability to give back to others, it is my duty to help those who need my help”, Aiston shares.
Aiston recalls an incident last year when an “adopted” family desperately needed a washing machine. A senior citizen called into St. Mark’s saying, “I want to help and can provide the funds, but I cannot physically shop.” The gentleman paid for the machine and the family was grateful for the anonymous donor. “It is wonderful to see God at work in all this,'' she adds.
Ward reminisces about a young couple that had signed up for the first time for holiday assistance. “Belen [Tri-City Corps, Social Services Director] would always bring over first-timers to be introduced and we asked them ‘is there anything else you might happen to need?’ The young couple turned to us and said ‘we need highly specialized formula for our baby but you probably wouldn’t have it’ and I answered ‘we probably wouldn’t, we just get a few kinds of formula in here and we probably only have a few cans, but tell me what kind is it that you need?’ The father explained this special formula and lo and behold it was on the shelf and none of us could believe it.”
Lieutenant Dena Smith is eager about her first year as Commanding Officer in the Tri-Cities and overseeing the toy shop. “Seeing how the whole toy shop process from the donors to families, to volunteers connects into one big picture and a sense of community results in an extraordinary story of giving to people in need. Just as Christ came to the world to bring hope, we are living our Christian mission to bring hope at Christmas time to families in need.”
The Salvation Army Tri-City Corps welcomes families to sign up for holiday assistance at: 1710 S. 7th Avenue in St. Charles on Wednesday mornings from 9am to 11am through December 11th.
The Salvation Army Angel Tree program is an opportunity to spread joy and cheer to the less fortunate during the holidays. Whether you are an individual, family, organization, church, business or club, you can help make a difference by accepting any number of Angel Tree “tags” from The Salvation Army. Angel Trees represent the wishes and desires of a child or youth. Through the Angel Tree program, families and children have their specific needs and wants met for a warm and joyous holiday experience.
More information can be found here