CRESTVIEW — A plea on social media in 2014 caught Baker resident Renee Wiley's attention. A woman asked if anyone could help provide for her family at Christmas. Responses were mostly positive.
Wiley decided at that point to organize a Facebook group that links people who can help with people who need help during the holidays. That group became the Christmas Angels in Crestview.
Christmas Angels in Crestview's 72 members work year-round to collect toys and other items for children. About 24 of the members wait to adopt a family for the holidays.
Wiley also established a second Facebook group, Christmas Needs. People needing help for the holidays can join that group. The Christmas Angels group provides for the Christmas Needs group.
So, how does the program work? Well, parents are asked to make a list of what their children need. The list includes ages, sizes and certain items children may want. Needs for children ranging from babies to high school students are accepted.
Christmas Angels volunteers then take the lists, along with a picture of the child or children, to pick gifts from a storage unit. Stockings and stocking stuffers are also provided. Parents — “Most of those families in need are single mothers raising their children on their own,” Wiley said — then can come by the storage unit and receive a box of gifts along with wrapping paper.
The first year the Christmas Angels went into action, Wiley lacked a warehouse to keep donations and had to store them in her home. The second year, the group had a rented storage unit in Niceville. This year, Wiley rented a storage unit in Crestview and will probably have to rent another after Thanksgiving. That unit is already filled with dolls and games, Christmas decorations and two Christmas trees.
Christmas Angels in Crestview also accepts cash donations, which go straight to purchasing what is needed to help those in need, Wiley said.
That number is growing. During its first year, 74 children received gifts; last year, 99 children received gifts, according to Wiley.
“Last year, our Black Friday shoppers doubled our inventory in the unit in Niceville. One generous couple spent $3,000 to help out. That same couple also adopted two families for the holidays. They like to do for others,” Wiley stated.
“This group has restored my faith in humanity,” she said. “There are people out there who care and don’t want a child going without on Christmas morning. All we ask is that those families who are helped out take a picture of their children’s smiles on Christmas morning and send it to us. That keeps us going.”
Interested in contributing? Contact Renee Wiley through Christmas Angels in Crestview on Facebook. Need help? Contact her through Christmas Needs on Facebook.
Wiley also has a third group on Facebook called Giving Hands in Crestview. This group is a “free-cycling” exchange group between people.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Christmas Angels prepare for annual gift distribution