(INDIANAPOLIS) – Two longtime Christmas charities for Indiana’s needy are merging.
United Way’s United Christmas Service has been helping struggling families for 66 years. Last year, it dropped a program where you could sponsor a family in need, but a voucher program continued, with families receiving 30 dollars a person for food, clothing and toys continued. This year, the whole program will be taken over by the Salvation Army, which has run its own Angel Tree program since 1979. Like the old version of the Christmas Service, that program allows you to sponsor a specific recipient, though Angel Tree focuses on children.
United Way chief community impact officer Kiko Suarez says United Way is refocusing on its core mission of coordinating the efforts of its member agencies, which include the Salvation Army. He says Angel Tree is effective, and there’s no point in duplicating efforts.
Angel Tree serves about 2,600 Hoosier children each year. The United Christmas Service covers about twice that many families. Angel Tree coordinator Brianne Bowers says she doesn’t anticipate any difficulty lining up enough staff and volunteers to handle the load.
(Photo: Joanne Ingate/Getty Images)
