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Hundreds of Fayetteville-area families will receive Christmas gifts on Monday at the Salvation Army's annual Angel Tree distribution event.


<b>FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.</b> — Hundreds of Fayetteville-area families got their Christmas gifts on Monday at the Salvation Army's annual Angel Tree distribution event, but with a week to go before Christmas, there is plenty of need still out there.

The community purchased gifts for more than 500 families adopted from the Salvation Army of the Sandhills' Angel Tree program. But there were angels left behind. The Salvation Army says about 200 angels were removed from trees, but the gifts were not delivered.

Hundreds of Fayetteville-area families will receive Christmas gifts on Monday at the Salvation Army's annual Angel Tree distribution event.

COM TOW TRUCKS. CARTING. >> WELL, CHRISTMAS IS COMING EARLY FOR SOME FAMILIES IN FAYETTEVILLE, WRAL, FAYETTEVILLE, REPORTER, GILBERT BAYS AND A RESIDENT ELF IS LIVE AT THE OUT YEARS. ANNUAL SALVATION ARMY ANGEL TREE DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSE WHERE HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES GILLET ARE GOOD TO BE RECEIVING GIVES DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. TAKE IT AWAY. >> THAT'S RIGHT. AND CAN THIS IS A DIFFERENT OF THE OPERATION IS THE SAME. THIS IS CHRISTMAS HERE. MASSIVE OPERATION. THEY'VE GIVEN ME THE MEGAPHONE TO HELP CALL OUT THE NUMBERS WE HAVE 33, 33, OKAY. WE'RE NETWORK THE 33 IS ALREADY TAKING. OKAY. BUT LOOK AT. THEY NEED. 35. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS FOR EVERYONE HERE. THE INSIDE THESE BAGS, ALL TYPES OF GIFTS FOR DIFFERENT KIDS FEMALE 7 YEAR-OLD 4 YEAR-OLD 4 YEAR-OLD. WELL, THEY WANT BARBIES 1000 THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT'S NOT JUST TOYS. IT'S ALSO ABOUT OTHER THINGS. HERE'S A MALE HERE. HE NEEDS FULL-SIZE ABETTING AND ALSO PILL MASSIVE OPERATION. LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT IT IS WITH ALL JOKING. ASIDE HERE, IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR THEY HIT. THEY THIS OPERATION. 1300 INDIVIDUALS. WE SAID 5 AND FAMILIES 1300 INDIVIDUALS GOING TO GET RECEIVE GIFTS. THERE ARE PARENTS HERE PICKING UP GIFTS FOR HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAVE SEVERAL 100 SEVERAL CHILDREN. AND THAT'S WHAT WITH SEVERAL PARENTS WHO SAY BECAUSE OF THEIR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION, THEY WOULDN'T BE A CHRISTMAS AT THEIR HOME FOR NOT FOR THE ANGEL TREE PROGRAM. NOW THE SALVATION ARMY DID HIT A LITTLE SNAG THIS YEAR ABOUT 260 ANGELS WERE TAKEN OFF THE TREES. BUT GIBBS WERE NOT PURCHASE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. SO THAT A PROBLEM AND THEY SAY THEY FACE EVERY YEAR. SO AS WE'RE TRYING TO 13 HER KIDS TO DO THAT TIMES 20%, THAT'S RATHER TO 60, WHICH WAS ABOUT OUR NUMBER. >> AND SO WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THAT ANGEL ADOPTED THAT, THE PERSON THAT KID THE CHILD DOES NOT GET ADOPTED. THEY JUST DON'T GET ASSIST. >> OF COURSE, THAT'S WHERE THE TOYS FOR TOTS PROGRAM STEPS IN. THEY WORK EVERY YEAR WITH THE SALVATION ARMY HAND-IN-HAND NOT ONLY TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE ADOPTIVE GET SOME TOYS AS WELL, BUT ALSO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD ANGELS TAKEN OFF THE TREES, BUT NO GIFTS RETURN, WALK AWAY, NOT EMPTY-HANDED. SO THIS IS THE OPERATION OUTSIDE HERE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE CARS ARE PULLING UP AND THEY PULL RIGHT UP HERE IN THE GIFTS GIVEN EVERYONE I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL PARENTS WHO SAY THAT IF WERE NOT FOR THIS RIGHT HERE, THE WOULD-BE CHRISTMAS AT THEIR HOUSE. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, A LOT OF SMILES ON THEIR FACE. AND YOU'RE GOING HEAR FROM SOME OF THESE PARENTS IN THE LATER SHOWS AND I KNOW HOW APPRECIATIVE THOSE PARENTS ARE, BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN A VERY

Gilbert Baez

Michael Joyner

Jessica Patrick

What happens when Salvation Army angels are not returned? 

"When we don't have that angel adopted, that person, that kid ... they just don't get assisted," said Maj. Tim Grider from the Salvation Army of the Sandhills.

Toys for Tots helped to fill that gap in Fayetteville, making sure none of the families that signed up for help went away empty-handed.

Many parents who picked up gifts from the warehouse on Monday told WRAL News that, because of their current financial situation, there wouldn't be Christmas in their home if it were not for the Angel Tree program.

Hundreds of Fayetteville-area families got their Christmas gifts on Monday at the Salvation Army's annual Angel Tree distribution event.

 Angel Tree donations

<h2>Give last-minute clothing, toys to help Wake County families</h2>

The Salvation Army of Wake County is in a similar predicament. On Nov. 15, the deadline to return gifts, the Salvation Army was still awaiting gifts from 2,000 adopted angels. As a result, the drop-off deadline was extended. With just days before Christmas, presents for about 1,000 of the program's 7,600 available angels had yet to be delivered.

Volunteers will begin delivering the gifts that have been dropped off, but clothing and toys are still needed.

The Angel Tree program is a massive annual operation, with thousands of families registered and thousands of gifts delivered each year. In public spaces, trees are decorated with angels – each one representing a child in need of warm clothing, toys and other items this holiday season. The angels can be "adopted" off a tree or online.

The Salvation Army is asking for clothing for boys and girls, sizes 6-12, and toys and gifts like soccer balls, tablets, scooters, skateboards, radio-controlled cars, Barbies and accessories, Legos, arts and craft kits, makeup sets, nail polish sets, Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth headphones/earbuds.

Items can be dropped off at the Salvation Army Center in Raleigh at 1863 Capital Boulevard by Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Helping Hand Mission in Raleigh is also collecting items to make Christmas bright for area famility.

"The need is so great and we are nowhere near our goal," a spokesman said Monday. "Families are calling and the supply is depleted." To donate please drop items off at 623 Rock Quarry Road in Raleigh or call 919-829-8048.

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