For Columbus residents that are in the spirit of giving this holiday season, there are still several opportunities to donate to those in need.
The Salvation Army and Contact Helpline are asking those that are able to give back to consider donating to the most vulnerable in our community — children and the elderly.
Major Eric Roberts with The Salvation Army said there are more than 600 children throughout the Golden Triangle that may not have Christmas presents this year. Those children are listed as “angels” on The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. There are eight trees at various locations in Columbus. Roberts said all of the children on the tree are from needy families.
“The children that we have on our angel tree we’ve checked and verified with their parents, their financial information and made sure this is definitely a needy family,” Roberts said. “When you’re buying something for a children, it’s a child that is definitely in need.”
The trees are located at the entrance of Leigh Mall, JC Penney, Krispy Kreme, Cadence bank on Bluecutt Road, Carl Hogan Honda, Citizens Bank on Hwy. 45 and Citzens Bank on Lehmberg Road.
Roberts said the donated items need to be returned to The Salvation Army by December 14 to ensure they will be delivered in time.
“We check and we double-check to make sure every child has a gift and then we put in the family bag to have it ready for distribution day,” he said.
The gifts are typically delivered several days before Christmas.
While The Salvation Army focuses on helping children in need, Contact Helpline is focusing on the elderly. Katrina Sunivelle, director of the organization, said the elderly are often forgotten.
“Many times our seniors are the forgotten ones during the holidays,” Sunivelle said. “We like to give them a gift during the holiday season.”
Sunivelle is asking for basic amenities such as hats, socks, gloves, toiletries, scarves, blankets and plastic shoeboxes. With over 300 seniors in eight counties on the donation list, Sunivelle is hoping for enough donations so every person receives a box. The seniors on the list are clients of Contact Helpline who receive a phone call every day to check on their well-being.
“We just want to give back,” she said. “This will give us an opportunity to go out and visit with them other than they phone call that they receive.”
Donations can be dropped off at United Way and should arrive no later than December 20.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
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