The Salvation Army has launched its annual mission to bring toys and other needed items to less fortunate children.

Angel Tree, a program started by Prison Fellowship Ministries, involves providing necessities and Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children. Trees around the county, donned with distinctive angel ornaments representing needy children and their wishlist, are set up, and individuals, families, churches, businesses civic clubs and other organizations can adopt an angel, said Lt. Bruce Rabon Jr., who, with the help of his wife, Lt. Goldie Rabon, heads the project.

Rabon said families across the organization’s six-county service area can come to the Salvation Army offices and fill out an application for their child to participate in the program. The organization will determine if the child is eligible to participate based on a specific set of questions, and if so, that child will become an angel on one of five trees in five different locations — Walmart in Washington; the Salvation Army Family Store; Bank of America on Carolina Avenue in Washington; the Chocowinity Volunteer Fire Deptartment; or Walmart in Williamston. This year, the organization went out into four counties in its service area to take applications, but anyone in the six counties that wants to apply can contact the Salvation Army, Rabon said.

“We just hope and pray it’s a success,” Rabon said. “We are trying to expand numbers of those we can help. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get to the other counties we serve. Hopefully, by next year, we’ll have a good presence in all six counties, but they can still come out and fill out an application.”

Once a child becomes an angel on an Angel Tree, anyone can come and adopt that child by taking the angel ornament off of the tree and shopping for that child, Rabon said. On each ornament, information, including the sizes of that child’s shirt, pants and shoes are listed, as well as a dream list of toys and other items the child wants for Christmas. The person shopping for any given child should tear the ornament at its perforated edge and turn in the bottom part of the ornament with the toys they bought for that child, Rabon said.

However, the items purchased are up to the shopper, Rabon said.

“That’s really up to whoever adopts them,” Rabon said. “Things on the ornament are just ideas and dream gifts. We just ask that the person shops with their heart and buys what they can. It’s all based on what you can do and what you’re led to do. There’s no set limit as far as a minimum or maximum.”

Rabon said those who wish to adopt a child through the Angel Tree program, but don’t have enough time to do so can make a monetary donation, and volunteers take that money and go out and shop for a child.

Last year, the Salvation Army served about 500 children through the program, Rabon said. With a goal of serving 600 children this year, the organization is still taking applications for Angels. Currently, there are already 450 Angels for this year’s initiative. On Dec. 23, the organization will distribute all the toys and items raised through the program, Rabon said.

“It’s important because the more that are adopted, the more we can help the clients with other things rather than buying toys,” Rabon said. “That frees up our money to help more people with rent, utilities and other things throughout the year. Last year, it worked out well. We did pretty good. We had to end up buying a few toys, but the community really stepped up there at the end. We had like 100 angels left and folks stepped up and took those angels. We live in a good community with a lot of good organizations.”

Rabon said the Angel Tree program is held in conjunction with the organization’s annual bell ringing fundraiser, which helps support all the other programs it does. This year, the Salvation Army has set a goal of $80,000 for the bell-ringing fundraiser.

“Without that (bell-ringing) and Angel Tree, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” Rabon said.

The Salvation Army is located at 112 West 7^th St. To access Angel Tree online, visit wnct.com and click on the Angel Tree banner.