ABOVE: The Angel Tree sits tall at the interior front of the Walmart Supercenter in Fairmont. Many tags hang with a child’s age and their requests for Christmas gifts. Tags can be taken and returned to Walmart Customer Service with gifts before Dec. 15.

FAIRMONT — ‘Be an angel’ this holiday season, a message the Salvation Army in Fairmont is spreading to the community. The organization aims to spread holiday joy to families in need by reintroducing the Angel Tree program and Bell Ringers.

“I think it’s really good. I always take my children every year, and I ask them to pick gifts. It’s kind of a fun way to give back, and it’s a way to show the next generation that helping at Christmas is important and so I encourage families to take their children out, pull a tag and let their kids pick that Christmas gift for the kids in the community who may need it. It can turn into a really fun experience for the families. It’s not just always about getting, it’s also about giving,” said Salvation Army Area Manager Krystal Stover.

Salvation Army is partnering with its corporate sponsor, Walmart Supercenter in Fairmont, and has placed an Angel Tree in the front of the store. Shoppers can participate in the Angel Tree by taking one or more tags off the tree, buying gifts on the tag, and bringing the unwrapped gifts and tag to Walmart Customer Service before Dec. 15. Salvation Army will wrap the gifts and deliver them to the families to open on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Stover said there are 250 children, ages 0 to 17, of the Martin and Faribault County areas, on the Angel Tree tags this year.

In addition, 21 businesses are collecting donations on behalf of the Salvation Army, including Tractor Supply Co., LiveFit, Les Schwab Tire, Fleet and Farm/Ace Hardware, Carpet Plus, Arnold Motor Supply, Lakeside Agency, Walgreen’s, Bank Midwest, Bomgaars, CCF Bank, Hy-Vee, Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Fareway, State Bank, First Farmers and Merchants Bank, U.S. Bank and Jake’s Pizza. So far, many tags have been taken, and many presents have been donated.

“I think as we see the cost of living rising, and just housing costs, especially, I would, in my opinion, it makes that just a little bit harder for families to accomplish. And so, I think it’s very important that each child wakes up and knows that they were special on Christmas. If a family can’t provide that and the community can, I think it’s especially important that we surround that family during that time,” Stover said.

Along with the Angel Trees, Salvation Army Bell Ringers are raising both money and attention for Salvation Army. Bell Ringers have begun ringing and will continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, through Dec. 23, outside Walmart, Fareway, Hy-Vee and Bomgaars in Fairmont. Eighty-eight cents of every dollar will support the year-round services of the Salvation Army. Stover explained that there is currently a team of Bell Ringers, but she emphasized the importance of growing it.

“There is always a need for bell ringers, but especially since 2020, our volunteer base has dropped within the local community. And so we’re always encouraging people to drop a dollar in the bucket, get involved with the Salvation Army, and please bell ring,” Stover said.

Stover commended the community for its support shown through the Salvation Army’s various programs, including Bell Ringing and Angel Tree, to help those in need.

“I think I am proud to say that I am a local, and I am also proud to say that when our community says that there is a need, our community members step up and help fill that need. So I’m very proud of the volunteer base that we do have and those who do give back,” said Stover. “I have never sent out a request within the community as a case manager or an area manager that hasn’t been met by our community members. And I’m proud to say that not all areas are that way, and so it’s a blessing to have that as a community. So I would say I’m proud of our community that they step up when they see a need and are made aware of a need, and they step up and they meet that need. I’m proud of us.”

Stover said the Salvation Army hope to fulfill local Christmas wishes and adhere to its mission statement, ‘to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination. ‘

“We would like to make sure that every child has a gift under the Christmas tree this year,” Stover said.

The Angel Tree in Walmart is located at 1250 Goemann Road in Fairmont. Salvation Army is located at 303 Downtown Plaza in Fairmont.