The Salvation Army’s Anchorage GIFT Provides Christmas Assistance to Families in Need
Anchorage, AK – The Salvation Army’s annual Anchorage GIFT distribution will take place this Thursday – Saturday, December 17 – 19, 2020, from 10 AM to 7 PM daily, at 3101 Penland Parkway in Anchorage. Families who had registered for the event prior to December 17 will pick up toys for children 0 – 14 years old and supplemental food for the family.
The Salvation Army is taking additional precautions this year to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and clientele by distributing gifts and food in a drive-through style manner. Clients will come to the former Carrs Safeway at Northway Mall. They will stay in their vehicles and be guided by staff to checkpoints where they will then show registration papers, IDs and receive their gifts/food without ever leaving their vehicles.
Thanks to a registration process that took place in November, families identified their children’s preferred gifts and clothing sizes. As in year’s past, that information was distributed through our Angel Tree program to be filled by our valued community members. What is different to the process this year is that volunteers and staff are preparing the bags for a contactless delivery using the goods from our Angel Tree program and supplementing missing items with toys made available by the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program.
Families who have not registered by December 17, are still able to participate in the event as special days have been set aside to assist them on Monday and Tuesday, December 21 – 22, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Families in need of Christmas assistance can find registration information at https://salarmy.us/ANCgift.
“The children that receive gifts from our Christmas assistance programs are part of families that are struggling financially and do not have the means to purchase extra things for Christmas,” said Major John Brackenbury, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in Alaska. “While there continues to be Alaskans in need, The Salvation Army will do what we can to make sure that every boy and girl has a bright Christmas.” With the restrictions and economic strain associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, toy donations have been significantly down this year while requests for assistance have increased. The Salvation Army is making a plea to the community to help us #RescueChristmas by shopping for our GIFT families at participating locations or by considering making a donation to The Salvation Army for toy purchase.
To help The Salvation Army continue to provide social services programs in Alaska year-round, donate online at alaska.salvationarmy.org. Every dollar donated helps Alaskans in the most need.
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The Salvation Army, an evangelic part of the universal Christian church, supports those in need in His name without discrimination, offering spiritual encouragement and basic services to meet the needs of Alaskans in 18 communities. The Salvation Army has been caring for mind, body, spirit and soul of individuals, children and families in Alaska since 1898. In FY2020, The Salvation Army served 298,758 meals, gave 37,750 toys and gifts to kids in need and provided over 8,600 contacts of emotional and spiritual support helping nearly 77,000 Alaskans statewide. For more information, please visit alaska.salvationarmy.org.