(WBIR) More than 700 kids within the Salvation Army Knoxville Command's five-county area still need somebody to adopt their Angel Tree Christmas wish list.
Salvation Army Major Yvette Villafuerte said some 250 kids in Knoxville, 325 kids in Sevierville and 175 kids in Maryville need an Angel Tree sponsor, as of Friday evening.
The Angel Tree is a program where people adopt the Christmas wish list of a child from a low-income family. The Salvation Army screens each family that applies for the program to ensure the family, indeed, meets financial poverty guidelines.
"We've got children who, in reality, the moms would not have the choice of buying gifts for the children because they've got to pay for their electric bills," Villafuerte said. "They've got to pay for their vehicle repairs, you know, the basics - putting the food on the table, so the Angel Tree is just so important because it actually brings Christmas to a household."
She said the need has never been so high this late in the season, part of which is due to an increased demand this year.
"Knoxville has had a greater influx of people coming in from overseas. We've got lots of families coming in from the Middle East and from Africa," Villafuerte said. "Also what is unique is that the family units are larger now, as families are coming together to live in one household to try to make ends meet."
That, paired with a decrease in sponsors, has led to the 700+ kids still in need of adoption less than two weeks before the donations are supposed to come in.
"We've had so many corporations come and go from the Knoxville County area, and we rely heavily on churches and corporations to adopt," Villafuerte said.
The process to adopt an angel is simple and affordable, she added.
"Call us at our main office to come in and adopt an angel, go shopping for them, buy them their clothes and their toys, bring it back to us," Villafuerte said. "Every child's request is different, so if you have a budget of $100, you can adopt a child who wants a bicycle. If your budget is $50, then you can adopt a child who just wants clothes and maybe some road cars or some dolls or whatever."
The Salvation Army Knoxville Command needs the gifts no later than Dec. 11, dropped off at the Salvation Army offices.
People who want to adopt an Angel Tree wish list can do so by calling the Salvation Army Knoxville Command offices during regular business hours at 865-525-9401 or visiting them at 409 North Broadway in Knoxville.
More information on the Angel Tree program is here: http://knoxredshield.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/angel-tree-general-info_page_1.jpg
