Airbus Partners with Salvation Army to Bring Holiday Gifts to Families at Mobile Shelter

Eleven families spending the holidays at The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama’s Family Haven emergency shelter in Mobile received gifts this Christmas season, thanks to a partnership with aerospace manufacturer Airbus. The donations reached 14 parents and 19 children living at the facility.

Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO C. Jeffrey Knittel joined company volunteers at the shelter, where they wrapped presents alongside parents ahead of Christmas morning.

“We wanted to help provide a special moment for our local families at the Coastal Alabama Family Haven, and we hope our efforts will provide a little relief and joy for these parents and their children,” Knittel said.

Shelter leaders said the gesture carries real weight for parents navigating a difficult season. Capt. Sheri Jones, the Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama’s area commander, thanked the company for helping parents put smiles on their children’s faces on Christmas.

The Family Haven serves as temporary emergency housing for families in distress — including those without a permanent home and those escaping domestic abuse. Beyond shelter, the Salvation Army works with each family on a plan to regain stability and secure permanent housing, and it extends longer-term stays and support to local veterans facing homelessness.

The gift drive is part of Airbus’s broader community engagement in the Mobile area, where the company employs thousands of workers at its A320-family final assembly line at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley.

Airbus in Mobile

Airbus’s Mobile manufacturing facility sits at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, the site of the former Brookley Air Force Base. The company began assembling A320-family jetliners there in 2015 and delivered its first Mobile-built aircraft in 2016. A second final assembly line, for the A220, opened at the site in 2020.