The Salvation Army is asking the public to go shopping this weekend to buy new toys for children up to age 12 to take care of children in the county who are waiting for gifts. The donation truck will be at Walmart at 6410 I-45 in La Marque Saturday, December 14 from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm to collect toys for children up to age 12. New toys can also be delivered to the Family Store located at 601 51^st Street in Galveston until 5:30 pm.

Community volunteers have been generous to adopt the wish lists of these children and shop for gifts. The good news is that 183 families have already received all the gifts purchased for their children as well as a food voucher that allows them to purchase food for their Christmas dinner. Another 117 families are set to pick up their gifts in the coming days. However, there are currently 205 families whose requests are incomplete, with at least one child having not received any toys yet. Volunteers who have purchased gifts are asked to please turn them in no later than Monday, December 16. Call 409-939-9013 or 409-354-8074 with questions.

The Angel Tree program of The Salvation Army supports local families with Christmas gift assistance for children ages 12 and under. This season, 505 families registered 1206 children, a 43% increase over last year.