Salvation Army will distribute over 2,000 gifts this year thanks to Angel Tree donations

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – The Salvation Army of Bryan/College Station is distributing 2,200 Christmas gifts this year.

The Salvation Army is bringing more than a toy today, they are bringing hope to families. For all the families registered in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program, the gift distribution is December 19-20 at 3125 S. Texas Ave in Bryan.

The Angel Tree distribution started on Tuesday at 9 a.m. On Wednesday, families can pick up their gifts from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. If families can not pick up their gifts Tuesday or Wednesday, they can pick them up 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Salvation Army Captain, Marianne Villanueva, says she is grateful for all of the volunteers and community members who made Christmas possible for over 2,000 local kids.

“It was a team effort to make sure that every family has something for Christmas this year,” said Marianne Villanueva.

Each year, organizers are astounded by the outpouring of love, especially after the community banded together when 400 Angel kids were still on the tree.

“How much people love others, how much they care for others, that is amazing. A lot of people were big with their gifts, it was nothing small. All these gifts that we received- bicycles, car seats, a lot of things, people were very generous. So thank you so much to the community of Bryan/College Station,” said Marianne Villanueva. “I mean the community gets me in tears because it is amazing. Amazing how much a group of people, a group of community can help others. That is amazing.”

The Salvation Army says they are always in need of help.

“Volunteers are always welcome, we never say no to our volunteers,” said Marianne Villanueva.

“But also you can donate if you go to salvationarmybcs.org, you can donate online, or you can help us by just ringing those bells. That’s very important for us volunteering,” said Captain Luis Villanueva.

So far, The Salvation Army of Bryan/College Station has raised $140,000 of its $200,000 goal this year. The Salvation Army stresses they are only able to function due to donations.

“This amount of money, it helps a lot of people for the whole year it’s not just for Christmas. We are talking about all the way from January until December of next year. This $200,000 will help with rent, food, utilities, and clothing. Anything that they need, we can supply but if we don’t meet our goal, then it is gonna be really difficult this next year,” said Luis Villanueva.

If you would like to help, you can volunteer at their distribution site, 3125 S. Texas Ave in Bryan, Wednesday or Thursday. You can also sign up to ring the bell at the Red Kettle by clicking here. The Red Kettle ends on December 23rd.