The Salvation Army of St. Thomas is on its annual mission to make sure every child in the community has a present to open on Christmas morning. Toys will be collected beginning Monday at the Corps’ headquarters on Main Street
It’s an effort the organization has done, with help from community donations, for more than 90 years. But this year, the need for the community’s assistance is greater, according to Maria Ferreras, chair of the program committee for the Salvation Army. The number of children the organization hopes to serve is probably 30 percent higher than last year’s total.
"We’re helping 250 children this year, so we have an ambitious program," Ferreras said. "We’re going to rely 100 percent on donations of new toys from the community."
Currently, the Salvation Army has enough items for probably a quarter of the island’s children it plans to serve. "It breaks my heart to think that a child might wake up Christmas morning without something under the Christmas tree," she said. "With that in mind, we’re asking our local community that the next time they’re in the store shopping for their family to pick up an extra toy, an extra article of clothing. It will mean the world to a child."
Captain Edwin Velez, corps commander for the Salvation Army of St. Thomas, said that in his short time here, he has seen "what a caring, generous community St. Thomas is.” “We typically run low on items each year, but we always seem to make it up in the end," he said. "I have complete confidence that our island community will rally behind us and help make Christmas wishes come true.”
Donations of toys, clothes and gift certificates can be dropped off at the Main Street location from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, call Maria Ferreras at 642-1024.