The Salvation Army Augusta celebrated its yearly holiday campaigns at the Kroc Center, Friday morning, with its Christmas Kickoff Breakfast.
Queensborough National Bank & Trust sponsored the private event commemorating the beginning of the Salvation Army’s two signature Christmastime fundraisers for 2025: the renowned Red Kettle Campaign, which began this year on Nov. 6, and the Angel Tree Program, which launched on Nov. 13.
Many are familiar with the Red Kettle volunteers ringing bells outside of stores such as Walmart, Sam’s Club and Hobby Lobby for donations into the famous red kettle, raising funds for the Salvation Army’s charitable services, all of which stay local.
The Angel Tree program invites the community to donate clothes, gifts and essentials for families in need. Donors are encouraged to select an Angel Tree tag at any participating local businesses and, having “adopted an angel,” shop for items for the child listed on the tag.
Community members can currently find Angel Tree tags at New Moon Café, the Augusta Mall and Panera Bread’s Augusta, Evans and Grovetown locations. Starting on Nov. 24, tags will be available at the Walmart Supercenters in both Evans and North Augusta.
The Salvation Army’s other services, such as the Center of Hope shelter, continue operating alongside the seasonal initiatives, and Major Jonathan Raymer, Area Commander at Salvation Army of Augusta, has noted a dramatic shift in the demographic of those in need, with the shelter housing an average 15 children a night.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 21 years… it used to be 75-80% [of those coming to the shelter] were men,” said Raymer. “Now it’s half are men, half are women and children. In the last three years, it shifted that way, and so it’s consistent.”
The causes for the change are difficult to pin down, Raymer says, especially since individual situations tend to vary widely.
“I have met two women recently that were homeless due to Hurricane Helene,” said Jacqueline Cruz, a corps missions associate with Salvation Army Augusta, noting last year’s storm is still having rippling effects on some in the community today, contributing to the increase of women and families in need.
“Last year we had [Hurricane] Helene this year with the government shutdown. It’s kind of a somewhat of a mirror,” said Raymer, noting the impact the two events had on the volume of people seeking Salvation Army services.
The Angel Tree campaign helped bring gifts to more than 1,100 children last year, and so far this year more than 1,230 kids, said Raymer, noting that the yearly yuletide charity drives still prove a boon toward community efforts to aid the less fortunate.
“The community always responds with this kind of charitable stuff, and so we’re infinitely grateful for that,” he said. “We serve a faithful God who’s going to provide what is needed and use people to do that, so we want to just be good stewards.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
