VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Monday, members of the Salvation Army cut the ribbon at a warehouse where thousands of gifts were stored and ready to be hand-delivered to families for this Christmas.
"Operation: Rescue Christmas" was the theme this year for the organization's Christmas Depot, since the pandemic made it difficult for families in the region to purchase gifts for the holiday.
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Major Donald Dohmann, an area commander for Hampton Roads, said they've been working around the clock to bring 3,200 families with about 6,600 children presents to put under the tree.
"It's just a difficult time of year for families," said Dohmann. "Our national theme is to rescue Christmas.”
Instead of bringing families around the warehouse to let them personally "shop" for gifts, the Salvation Army had to get creative this year due to COVID-19 safety requirements.
They began a drive-through appointment system. Families were asked to drive up in their cars and then receive their gifts.
One single mother, Tiffany Strover, said it's been a tough year. She says if it weren't for the Salvation Army, she wouldn’t have had a gift for her child this year.
“This is a really bad time of the year," said Strover. "This is a big help out here...it’s awesome."
13News Now continues to help the Salvation Army Hampton Roads with its online Red Kettle for the Red Kettle Challenge.
