BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - WBRC 6 News is proud to once again partner with the Salvation Army for the WBRC and Salvation Army Angel Tree program.
The WBRC and Salvation Army Angel Tree program is a way for people to donate Christmas gifts to foster children and children in need during the holiday season. You can purchase gifts or make a financial donation to The Salvation Army Greater Birmingham Area Command. Your donation will be used to buy clothing, toys, and gifts for children participating in the Angel Tree program.
There are several ways you can help:
- In-person: Adopt an Angel from the Angel Tree at The Outlet Shops of Grand River or The Riverchase Galleria Nov. 7 through Dec. 3, 2025.
- Online: Adopt Angels online by clicking or tapping here. Online adoptions will begin Nov. 8. and conclude once all online Angels have been adopted. Thanks to the support of our community, Adopt Angels online is closed for 2025.
- Forgotten Angels: Drop-off new, unwrapped toys or gifts at any participating area Chick-fil-A location, Nov. 7 – Dec. 3, 2025.
- Walmart Registry: Shop our Walmart Registry to purchase gifts for Angels. Look for “Angel Tree of Greater Birmingham 2024 Registry,” and purchase the “Wish List” gifts for a child for Christmas. Purchases are shipped to The Birmingham Area Command and given to a child in need for Christmas. The online registry runs through Dec. 16, 2025. For more information, contact Regina Williams at Regina.Williams@uss.SalvationArmy.org or 205-453-0947. Visit the Birmingham Area Command’s Registry here.
- Give Financially: Bring Christmas wishes to life, by supporting a child or family for the holidays. Make a financial donation at BirminghamSalvationArmy.org and click the “Ways to Give” tab.
- Serve With Us: Volunteers are the Army behind The Army and are an important part of #DoingTheMostGood this holiday season. If you or your organization would like to volunteer with us, click or tap here for more information.
Thank you in advance for making this a Merry Christmas for so many children!
The History of The Salvation Army Angel Tree
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Along with the familiar Red Kettles, the Angel Tree program is one of The Salvation Army’s highest profile Christmas efforts. Angel Tree was created by The Salvation Army in 1979 by Majors Charles and Shirley White when they worked with a Lynchburg, Virginia shopping mall to provide clothing and toys for children at Christmas time.
The program got its name because the Whites identified the wishes of local children by writing their gift needs on Hallmark greeting cards that featured pictures of angels. They placed the cards on a Christmas tree at the mall to allow shoppers to select children to help. Thanks to the Whites, who were assigned by The Army to the Lynchburg area at the time, more than 700 children had a brighter Christmas that first year. Three years later, when the Whites were transferred to Nashville, Tennessee, Angel Tree was launched in the Music City. WSM radio, which airs the Grand Ol’ Opry, came on board that year as the first Angel Tree co-sponsor in the U.S. Because of the on-air promotion on WSM in Nashville, as well as national publicity on CNN and the Larry King Show, news of Angel Tree spread across the country like wildfire.
In 1998, WBRC teamed up with the Department of Human Resources to help collect toys for foster children in Jefferson County. In 2007, WBRC partnered with The Salvation Army and the WBRC and Salvation Army Angel Tree program was created. The program includes Angel Trees in local shopping malls and on-site at area corporations, churches, and organizations. The local communities have fully supported the Angel Tree program, making it possible to help thousands of children each year.
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