MOBILE, Ala. — The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama expects to provide Christmas gifts for 2,500 children this year, up from 2,000 last year, as it prepares to begin its Angel Tree and Red Kettle campaigns.
Capt. Richard Watts, the organization’s area commander, said he also expects an increase in people needing services later this year, and that the Salvation Army watches the economy as one indicator of future need.
“We’re always concerned with how the economy does,” Watts said. “We see that as an indicator of the people that we’ll see later on in the year. And so we do pay attention to that.”
Higher prices nationally
Nationally, consumer prices were 3.7% higher in September than a year earlier, and the gasoline index rose 34.2% over the same period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those figures reflect national price changes and do not show how local donations are changing.
How to help
The Angel Tree program connects donors with children’s Christmas wish lists. People can adopt an angel and shop for gifts. Watts said the campaign is one way the community can support local families.
“It’s easier to help when we do it together because it takes a community,” he said, “and what impacts my neighbor impacts people.”
Angel Tree sign-ups are expected to begin Nov. 14 at Walmart Vision Centers, and Red Kettle bell ringing is expected to start Nov. 16. People can also find ways to help through the Salvation Army’s Facebook page.
