Angel Tree project helps families for Christmas yet again

Democrat photo/Kaden Quinn 
Commerce Bank has an Angel Tree on display in their lobby, providing potential volunteers with the opportunity to help families in need this holiday season.
Democrat photo/Kaden Quinn Commerce Bank has an Angel Tree on display in their lobby, providing potential volunteers with the opportunity to help families in need this holiday season.

The Angel Tree program has returned once more to California.

Offering individuals a chance to support families in need of clothes, food and gifts for Christmas, the Angel Tree program allows folks to do their part in helping with community service.

Starting during October, applications from families in need are processed into forms by Central Missouri Community Action, and organizers can then turn them into paper angels to be placed on a Christmas tree in either a church, business or any other local establishments.

Each angel is assigned a color corresponding with the application and volunteers can then "adopt" that angel to donate whatever a person or family needs at this time. They're divided into three colors -- families in need of food certificates are represented by white angels, young girls are represented by pink angels, and young boys are represented by blue angels.

Coordinator Judy Scott said for each angel that is taken off a tree, project volunteers know that someone has shopped for that person. Working with CMCA, Annunciation Catholic Church has coordinated with other churches and establishments in the area to operate the Angel Tree project.

Scott said she is grateful for the work Commerce Bank and United Church of Christ, along with other churches, have put into the Angel Tree effort. She said the support the project gets is amazing and can be seen outwardly in the community.

Scott said after just the first week of having an Angel Tree at her church, the number of angels that needed to be adopted reduced from about 200 to 30. She said it is nice seeing the community support the project as businesses and organizations such as 4-H clubs, the California FFA chapter, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have come ready to serve.

"The grocery stores have been really good to help us with that because they add 10 percent to (food certificates). We always appreciate that," Scott said. "All (the shopping) happens in November, then in December we start collecting all that back. However, we do sort within the families to make sure that all the children are receiving an equal amount of stuff."

The distribution is then made through CMCA as members from the organization will come to pick up the donations and deliver them to families and children. Scott said people can participate in the Angel Tree project by contacting participating churches or by visiting Commerce Bank and taking an angel of their tree.

While this will be Scott's last year in charge of the Angel Tree project, she said she is passing on the torch to someone who is very dedicated to the job. Lori Heather will be the new coordinator for the project, and Scott said she is eager to see her take on the task as they work to give back to families looking for help.

The goal of the Angel Tree project is to give those who really cannot afford to buy for themselves. Scott said she would like the community to know that each application is studied closely to see the needs and specifications of each family or child. She said what those involved with the project want is to spread as much good as they can during this holiday season.

"(The Angel Tree project) is for those that are in need," Scott said. "So we want it to be for those who are really in need of help and support during this time of year. We want to bring smiles to all those kids' faces."