SALISBURY — There is still time to make a difference in a young person’s life this holiday season through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program.

Salvation Army of Rowan County Captain Teresa Bush said they still have about 150 angels that need to be adopted. 

“For a couple of weeks in October, we take applications from people that need assistance around Christmas,” Bush said. 

Angel applicants can be up to 12 years old. 

“This year we had close to 900 kids,” Bush said. 

While they have had the majority of those Angels adopted, there still remain many local families in need. When you adopt an Angel, you find out some information on them to help with shopping, 

“We’ll ask them if there is a need,” Bush said. “Like this one listed clothes and shoes as things they really need. Then they can give suggestions about what the children like.”

One such Angel wished for a tablet, makeup or an RC car. 

“They like rainbow colors, they like nail kits and they like baby dolls,” Bush said. “It also has their clothing sizes and their shoe sizes. So everything is pretty much on there.”

Bush mentioned that some people will pick an Angel to honor the memory of a loved one. 

“It is sentimental to some people how they do their Angel tags,” Bush said. 

There are several local churches that participate in the Angel Tree program but the easiest place to find one is at the Salisbury Walmart location at 323 S. Arlington St. The tree is located near the customer service desk. 

There are a few items to be mindful of when shopping for the Angel Tree program. All gifts must be new and unwrapped. Gift wishes are only suggestions to help with shopping. There is no spending limit and donors are asked to provide at least three toys and clothing for their Angel.

After you have finished shopping for the Angel, place the toy/clothing items inside a bag with the Angel tag. There are bins at Walmart and those gifts can also be dropped off at the Salvation Army location at 620 Bringle Ferry Road. 

The deadline to turn in gifts is Friday, Dec. 6, which might seem early but is required to permit enough time to process each Angel and to make sure they distribute the gifts accordingly. 

For more information, call the Salvation Army of Rowan County office at 704-636-6491.