For those counting down, Christmas is 78 days away. While that may seem like a long time, The Salvation Army of Washington is already making preparations for its 2019 Angel Tree program.

This week, The Salvation Army is registering children for the annual program, which provides new clothing and toys for kids from low-income families that might need some extra help with Christmas. The program is open for children from birth to 12 years old, and registration is ongoing through Friday at The Salvation Army’s Seventh Street location in Washington.

“This year, we’re anticipating an increase, close to hopefully 500 children in the six counties we serve, with probably a large amount of that number from Beaufort County,” said The Salvation Army of Washington Lt. Karl Bush.

In order to register, parents and guardians are asked to visit The Salvation Army at 112 E. Seventh St. between 9 a.m. and noon before Friday. To register, families must have a valid ID for the applicant, verification of the family’s current address, verification of income or benefits and proof of age for each child. Every family that registers for the program is screened through a process that helps verify their needs.

“We see families every year that come in that have found themselves having a greater need to support their children than they did before,” Bush said. “Maybe they lost a job, their job changed or they were laid off or something big happened. They know that they’re going to need help for Christmas.”

In addition to registering for the Angel Tree program, parents will also have a chance to speak with representatives from Beaufort County Literacy Volunteers and the Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children, learning about the services those organizations offer.

Registration for families in Hyde, Tyrrell and Washington counties will take place on Oct. 10 and Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Plymouth Church of the Nazarene, located at 104 Oakford Ave., Plymouth.

Once children are registered as “angels,” The Salvation Army makes a commitment to provide Christmas gifts for that child. Each child’s needs are in turn printed and hung on Christmas trees at various locations where generous individuals, churches, companies and organizations can purchase their gifts.

“From the perspective of ministering to others, because God compels us to, it’s not necessarily about getting gifts,” Bush said. “It’s more so having the knowledge that somebody cares — that there’s somebody out there that may not know the family that cares enough to say ‘I’ll help them.’”

Angel Trees will be up in locations around the community from Nov. 4, and gifts are to be returned by Dec. 6. On each tree are printed angels that have the name, age and gift suggestions for a child “angel” registered in the program. Each angel is ready for members of the community to “adopt” (purchase gifts) for Christmas. Businesses and community organizations that would like to adopt angels or volunteer for the program can call Lt. Teresa Bush at 252-946-2523.