Holiday donations by Charlotte Observer readers fuel Empty Stocking Fund. How to help
It happens countless times around the holidays, Salvation Army Major Jason Burns said: A well-dressed person approaches him with a story.
“ ‘When I was 10 years old, The Salvation Army provided toys for Christmas when my family had troubles,’ ” Burns said. “Or, ‘I got a bike for Christmas from The Salvation Army at Christmas, and it was an amazing thing.’ ”
“Now, I don’t know if that bike or those toys changed their trajectory. But the reality is, it’s a memory that sticks with people for a long time,” Burns told The Charlotte Observer in a recent interview. “You never know where a dollar will go and the life that it will change.”
Burns and his wife, Bethany, are the area commanders of The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.
Thousands of Charlotte-area children will receive gifts of clothes and toys under the Christmas tree again this year, thanks to contributors to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte’s annual Angel Tree program. In cases where donors don’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund, which the Observer has sponsored since about 1920.
Seeking help from The Salvation Army
Families face the same challenges families always have, including homelessness and marginal incomes, Burns said. “And the margins for families are very small,” he said.
Those seeking help include everyone from single moms with multiple kids to families whose primary income earner just lost their job, Burns said.
“Or maybe they’re struggling to make ends meet throughout the year because they lost their job last year, and they’re working a job that’s half of what they were making,” he said. “We also have fire victims who lost everything.”
“You look at what our families are challenged with, it’s not anything new,” he said. “But it’s new to them.”
The Angel Tree program is helping 1,627 families in Mecklenburg and Union counties this holiday season, representing 3,850 children, Salvation Army officials said.
Among The Salvation Army’s most popular efforts, Angel Tree matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy them presents for Christmas. Senior citizens and people with disabilities also receive gifts.
Last season, Observer readers donated $143,681 to the campaign.
Money raised by the Observer’s 2023 Empty Stocking Fund campaign allowed The Salvation Army to purchase more than 6,100 toys for this year’s program, along with the gift cards for seniors, foster children and adults with disabilities.
The Angel Tree program also is providing gift cards to 1,261 seniors and 277 people with disabilities, according to The Salvation Army.
The number of families seeking help during the holidays is down from 2,432 last year, when 6,252 children received gifts, Burns said. That’s likely because The Salvation Army returned to in-person registration this year after several years online due to the pandemic, he said.
“There’s an inconvenience factor there, that some people are like, ‘Yeah, I’m OK, I can figure this out some other way,’ ”Burns said. “Which is fine, if that’s what they choose to do, because, again, we want to make an impact on those families that we can make a real impact on.”
Hurricane Helene had little effect on the holiday need in Charlotte, Burns said.
“We haven’t seen a huge influx of people into Charlotte,” he said. “I think at one point there were about 80 to 100 families staying in hotels in the area because they couldn’t back to their homes. A very small number are here in Charlotte, but we stand ready to help those in other parts of the state.”
Through its Christmas assistance program, The Salvation Army meets a fundamental need, Burns said: “The desire of a mom and a dad to show love during this time of the year to their child.”
That love leads to lasting memories. “And if those kids that we serve stack up enough of those great memories, they have capacity in the rest of their life for greatness,” he said.
How the Empty Stocking Fund works
In October, Salvation Army staff accepted and processed applications from families requesting assistance for the holidays. Parents gave wish lists of items for their children, and the requests were transferred to Angel Tree tags.
Each tag represents a child. Charlotte-area residents and groups anonymously “adopt” and buy gifts for the children, and will deliver the presents to The Salvation Army Christmas Center by Dec. 7. The center this year is at 4444 South Blvd.
In cases where donors don’t step up or “angels” go unadopted, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by donating to the Empty Stocking Fund. Distribution starts Dec. 17.
Popular wish list items
Sports equipment, soccer balls, baseballs and basketballs are perennially popular with kids, as are dolls for girls and makeup for teenage girls, Burns said.
“Books are always a big hit,” he said. “But things they ask for, you can go through Walmart and Target and look at the shelf and say, OK, kids are going to want these.”
Superhero figures and Barbie dolls are likewise popular, Burns said.
“I like to encourage people to buy games, card games, board games that kids can interact with other people,” he said. “Educational toys for the younger ones, tactile things, rattles and then clothing, if their clothing sizes are available.
“Kids never like opening clothing for Christmas,” Burns said. “They like toys. But sometimes what we want and what we need are two different things, right?. I still like socks for Christmas, and I’m in my 40s.”
‘In Charlotte, people give generously’
Donating to the Empty Stocking Fund “is incredibly impactful,” Burns said.
“And one of the things I love about the culture of giving in the United States, and really in Charlotte, is that people give generously without any recognition or a desire to take credit for what they’re doing,” Burns said. “They give because they want to give.
”And I thank those who are doing that again this year,” he said.
He encourages anyone who hasn’t given to the fund to make giving a tradition.
“If you’re a young adult in your 20s or 30s and you don’t have lots of money because of life, think back to what you got as a child,” he said. “Maybe make a small contribution, and just start with intentionality, and develop a culture of giving in your life. And you’ll never regret it.”
How to donate
To donate online, visit Empty Stocking Fund CLT.org.
To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, PO Box 31128, Charlotte NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.
Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-334-4731
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 6:00 AM.