Staten Island Children Would Like Toys For Holiday – Neighbors Can Help!: Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program Now Open Amid Increasing Food Insecurity Across Boroughs During SNAP Pause

Staten Island Children Would Like Toys For Holiday – Neighbors Can Help!: Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program Now Open Amid Increasing Food Insecurity Across Boroughs During SNAP Pause

Staten Islander News sat down with Lieutenant Esther Mobley. Lt. Mobley serves as the Commanding Officer of The Salvation Army Stapleton Corps Community Center, where she leads programs that provide food assistance, youth enrichment, and spiritual support to Staten Island residents in need. Driven by a deep calling to serve “in His name without discrimination,” Lt. Mobley is dedicated to meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of the community—offering hope, compassion, and practical help to individuals and families facing hardship.

Angel Tree is a long running program of the Salvation Army.  It brings together children from families that cannot afford gifts with donors that want to adopt those kids and buy gifts for them to be delivered in time for Christmas. Keeping in mind that many of the parents are single mothers, sometimes living with their own parents due to high rents and the inability to afford to own a home for most lower income people – where this part of the American Dream is far out of reach.

As we talked about with Lt. Esther, the two Staten Island Corps of the Salvation Army have extended their Angel Tree family sign up period until December 8th, in hopes that there will be late coming donors to fill the need. Unlike in other locations, the Island’s corps don’t do online sign ups; one family member has to come in person to sign up their kids for the program, where they will receive at least one toy or other gift as per the parent’s request. Donors can choose to purchase more, but the request is that at least one toy is given.

The Angel Tree program allows local families to sign up to receive one or more toys, clothes, or other gifts from a generous donor who may live on the island or in the city at large.

This crucial program allows many children who would otherwise not get anything for the holiday to receive at least one toy (or more, depending on one’s budget) from a stranger who cares about them.  It lets them know that they are loved, and that they have not been forgotten.  And as Lt. Esther says they want the kids to feel, “We don’t want to say Santa, but Jesus knew exactly what I wanted!”

These kids, who may have no other Christmas gifts to open this year than those provided by the generosity of strangers, can feel like they are treasured, and that they matter – because they do matter. It is not their fault that their parents are in poverty. While some say that the adults are responsible for their own finances, their children have nothing to do with it.  They cannot work to help make ends meet; all they can do is live through it and hope that their own future is brighter than their childhood.

Islanders who are SNAP recipients facing increased uncertainty (in addition to the reduction across the board for benefit amounts, the November payments are still not fully paid, so it won’t stretch as far as it usually does), as well as those who are just outside the requirements but need help making ends meet, should know that there is help. For those of you who may need food pantry or soup kitchen services, please see the chart below for their schedule. At these times, children can also be signed up for the Angel Tree program.  And check this page for more details about Angel Tree:

Port Richmond Corps:

• Soup Kitchen: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11:30 AM – 1 PM.
• Food Pantry: Monday – Thursday from 10 AM – 2PM (By appointment only on Fridays).

Stapleton Corps:

• Soup Kitchen (w/ Sit Down Dining): Monday – Friday from 11:30 AM – 2 PM.
• Food Pantry: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12:30 PM – 1 PM.

• • Lt. Esther made me aware that the Stapleton food pantry currently serves 600 people a month, serving the following: fresh produce, pastas, bread and frozen meat.

The following zip codes on Staten Island are served by the Stapleton Corps: 10304, 10305, 10306, 10307, 10308, 10309, 10312.  If you live on Staten Island, and are not in one of those zips, then you would go to the Port Richmond Corps to register.

For the Angel Tree links that Lt. Esther and Melissa mentioned during the interview, please see below:

• Online Donor Angel Tree Registration: GNY Salvation Army | Angel Tree | Angel Tree Adoption
• More Information on the Angel Tree Program: AngelTreeNY.org
• To Donate Online (for this or other programs: SalvationArmyNY.org

We asked the Salvation Army the following questions about drop off, New Jerseys’ program, and adding wrapping paper for the parent to use in preparing their presents: 

• At the Angel Tree link you provided [above], the ‘find your drop off’ link shows only Budd Lake as the possible drop off and ship to address.  I want to verify that people can drop off at any Salvation Army, since it would be difficult to get it to you if it only goes there (that’s a bit of a trek from here and shipping would be costly if there are multiple gifts)
  • I can verify that Angel Tree donors can drop off their Angel Tree tag donations at their local Salvation Army corps location, where the local Commanding Corps Officer in charge will then send the presents to be gift wrapped for distribution at Salvation Army’s Star Lake Camp.
• What is the link for Angel Tree in New Jersey? We do have some readers from NJ who may want to get involved for their own community
  • https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usa-eastern-territory/new-jersey/holiday-giving/
• It says on one of the pages not to wrap the gifts because the parents may want to participate.  Can donors include wrapping paper with their donation? Would that be helpful? I know wrapping paper can get expensive.
  • Yes, they can if they so choose!

For those in need of clothing, food, or other essentials right now, you may be able to find help at Faith United Methodist Church’s Saturday food pantry where they give away clothing to the local community that’s been received from the local community (in an embodiment of neighbors helping neighbors). Seventh Day Adventist also gives away clothing when they have it. And the Central Family Life Center also gives food and clothing directly to members of the community, and they’re currently hosting a coat drive, clothing drive, food drive, and toy drive in order to meet the needs of the community as the government’s social safety net (in place since and because of the Great Depression) has now been partially severed, with goals to sever it completely – causing those in need to sink or swim – survive or die.

You can learn more about the available  assistance for both Staten Islanders/NYC residents and those in New Jersey as well here.  We also spotlighted the Central Family Life Center, who is hosting toy, coat, and clothing drives for local residents.

 

We discussed the following topics during the interview with Lt. Esther in- depth:

 

1- Current sit-down meals and response of the community: Readers may remember our previous meeting with Lt. Esther, where we learned about the sit down meals and how they were being received so far by the community. It’s been about a year since then, and the response has been wonderful. There are 50-80 more participants weekly, and it has started to feel like a regular family gathering for the local residents in need.

 

2- Angel Tree – donations needed

– how to sign up and/or choose a recipient to give to

– any extensions to sign up period or can people show up on the day of if they are not signed up?

– where can gifts be dropped off?

– anything else people need to know

 

3- Food pantry and soup kitchen demand increases seen and needs for those: the demand has increased, and shelf-stable foods are needed.  They can be dropped off at your local Salvation Army Corps, and will go directly to those most in need.

 

4- Planned holiday meal days this year?  Monday of Thanksgiving week – sit-down meal planned.  And there is a Christmas morning brunch on Christmas morning.

 

 

Banner Image: Angel tree cover photo. Image Credit – Salvation Army GNY