Waiting for Christmas: 20 teens in Salvation Army program still need holiday wish tags fulfilled
Each year around this time, Salvation Army volunteers know which tags still hang from the organization’s angel trees in stores: gift requests for teenagers.
That gift gap seems wider this season with inflation, Captain David Cain of the Spokane Corps of the Salvation Army said. Early this week, he said Christmas requests still weren’t fulfilled for about 20 youth in Spokane, both males and females, ages 12-20.
Young children’s wishes on angel trees tend to draw more donors, and most toys are at relatively low prices, Cain said. Teens tend to want items more specific to interests, such as a brand-named hoodie or Bluetooth speakers.
“Every year, teens are the challenge because it’s just easier to buy for the little ones, but particularly now it is when $25 used to go a lot further before, just because of the increases with inflation,” Cain said.
Teen gifts typically range from $50 to $100, he said.
“ It is a harder experience to shop for a teen. Then, inflation has just made it more difficult for an already difficult situation, to find things within a price range.”
The Salvation Army angel trees are located at Spokane-area Fred Meyer, Walmart, JCPenney and Old Navy stores. Each tree includes gift tag requests, including for families, but also for individual teens in the organization’s housing who are awaiting foster care.
“If you can imagine being a teen who wakes up at a Salvation Army facility rather than at home on Christmas, they’re experiencing the most crisis, so for us, we’re in a crunch time making sure our teens are seen and loved.”
Cain said donors still can help in four ways, with nearing deadlines in mind. The local office has an Amazon wish list that includes teens in its programs, but the link closes after Friday to ensure timely shipment. The Amazon list can be found online at makingspokanebetter.org.
People also can get tags from various angel trees at stores and drop off any unwrapped items in bins with attached tags at the original tree location by Monday.
People can donate online and specify that a donation is for teens.
“We do everything we can to make sure we have something for every kid, so our team will go out shopping if we need to,” Cain said. “That’s where the monetary gifts are so important.”
People can also drop off gifts for teens at the Salvation Army at 222 E. Indiana Avenue.
“That one could be all the way up to Christmas Eve,” Cain said. “We ask that the gifts are unwrapped. It helps us get it to the right kids.”
He said one donor brought in a few drones as gifts for youth. Gift cards are another option.
“It’s not as fun, but it fills a legitimate need. We might receive a kid two days before Christmas.”
The organization also runs a Christmas Adopt-a-Family program, which includes people in crisis and wildfire victims this year, and it has some unmet gift needs for teens, he said. Those tags are on angel trees, as well.
For questions about gifts, people can email spokanechristmas@usw.salvationarmy.org.