A new trend on TikTok has been influencing people to donate to the Angel Tree Program. Influencers have been posting about their generous donations to the program, and encouraging others to donate.
The Salvation Army created The Angel Tree Program in 1979 to help underprivileged children and senior citizens experience the joy of Christmas. The program is nationwide and has helped hundreds of thousands of families. The Salvation Army truly believes that, “Every child deserves to experience the joy of Christmas morning.” Major Charles and Shirley White created this program 46 years ago and it has continued to grow ever since.
TikTok stars including James Charles, Piper Rockelle, Serena Neel, and Becca Bloom have recently posted about their donations to the Angel Tree Program. While some people might find it odd that these influencers feel the need to record their efforts to do good, at the end of the day, all that matters is that they are giving back to the community. According to Mother.ly, adults who were once Angel Tree Kids are very grateful for the influencers helping out and spreading awareness of the cause.
Former angel tree child and tiktok user “@hannahsceletialcorner” stated in a video, “I just want you guys to know that these kids will remember this for the rest of their lives, so thank you.” Furthermore, another former angel tree child on TikTok, “@Maybashleymarie” gave a shoutout to those influencers when she said, “I have to say I am so thankful to all of these influencers and all these people with real money to be able to go out and actually buy gifts for these kids, because you have absolutely no idea, NO IDEA the difference that it makes in their lives and how it will be lifetime memories for them.”
Walmart is one of the biggest sponsors of the Angel Tree. Near the entrances, a Christmas tree with hundreds of tickets can be spotted. Generous contributors will pick a ticket and start shopping. On the ticket they will find a Christmas wishlist for one person. The list includes the Angels first name, age, gender, and gift wishlist. The Salvation Army instructs contributors to drop off the purchased clothes and gifts unwrapped at a local drop off spot/bin.
According to The Salvation Army of Northeast Ohio, there has been an unanticipated increase in public participation in the program this year. This seems to be because popular TikTok stars film themselves going into their local Walmarts and picking several Angel tags off of the tree. They then film the entire process of them shopping, usually getting expensive gifts for their angels. Influencers see others participating, which pushes them to participate as well. This trend is drawing attention to the cause getting more and more attention and participation.
Salvation Army spokesperson Joel Ashcraft said, “Social media has played an incredible role in helping us get the good news out about sharing toys this holiday season.” To go along with the increase in popularity online, the Salvation Army also has social media and is willing to partner with individuals.
Angel trees have started running out of tags, and the Salvation Army says that they have been getting calls asking where people can find more tags. In Ohio alone, numbers are up by almost 70%, according to Ashcraft. This growth has been seen all over the country and much thanks is given to the social media stars who share their experiences shopping for the program and encourage others to do the same.
