To the editor:

It’s that time of the year again!

The Salvation Army will be running the Shelby County Christmas Clearinghouse. In 2021 we assisted close to 300 families and over 100 seniors with Christmas! Thank you again to those who helped make that possible!

We are at the beginning of our planning for this year and as the need continues to increase, we have great hope that the support from this community will as well. Our desire is that no kids will go without Christmas! Which brings us to the purpose of this email.

We need your help!

There are several ways you can help this Christmas:

• Host a Food Drive or Toy Drive at your location. Barrels will be delivered upon request. This is a huge need as food supply has been tremendously low.

• Request specific “Angel Tags” for children that have applied for the Clearinghouse. This opportunity would have specific sizes and toy requests for that child.

• Adopt a Family or Senior – This opportunity will allow you to get more personal in purchasing for an entire family or a senior.

• Volunteer – Ring a Bell at a local store or host a digital kettle. Please call Katie directly for more information. This year we have created a digital form at https://forms.office.com/r/1213ky2Diu

Please fill out this form as soon as possible. Once your form has been received, we will contact you with specific details as they apply to your request.

Please make sure all gifts are new and unwrapped.

If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Thank you for your consideration and care for this community! We look forward to working alongside you!

Shelby County families with children (0 years-high school) can come to sign up for Christmas Assistance starting Oct. 6.

Applications will run October 6-7, 10-14 and 17-21 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. On Oct. 11 and 18 until 5 p.m.

Please call our office, 937-492-8412, for more information on the documentation you will need.

God Bless You!

Capt. Katie Mayes