At work, Pamela Jackson, a kindergarten teacher's assistant, helps other parents' children.
"How they change — from going to school hardly knowing anything into blossoming into what they know now — it keeps me coming back," she said Tuesday.
At home, as she recently started planning Christmas for her 11-year-old daughter, Kianna, she asked for help from The Salvation Army.
"I'm a teacher's assistant who lives from check to check," she said.
Jackson, who works at Kimmel Farm Elementary School, is part of a growing wave of people riding out a tough economy by seeking help from The Salvation Army.
Applications from parents or guardians who don't think they can afford Christmas gifts for their children increased by about 10 percent this year, said Ellen Bliven, the organization's director of marketing and public relations. Last year, more than 2,000 local families, with about 4,800 children, submitted applications.
This year, The Salvation Army has received at least 200 more applications, Bliven said.
The charitable organization raises money for Christmas gifts through its red kettles and bell-ringing Santas, as well as from gift donations. Children, from newborns to 12-year-olds, are eligible for gifts. The deadline for requesting assistance has passed, but The Salvation Army's donation drive continues.
In the end, the organization provides gifts such as basketballs and footballs, games and bikes, among other items.
"It all depends on what people donate," Bliven said.
Kianna Jackson is not that picky, said Salvation Army Lt. Wanda Long, who had a chance to ask the girl what she wanted for Christmas.
"The thing that struck me the most was that she was not asking for a lot. She wanted a UNC Tar Heel poster. Kids ask for the Wii (video game) and a PlayStation 3. She wants a poster," Long said.
This is not the first year Jackson has asked The Salvation Army for Christmas help, she said. She has done so since the economy tanked in 2008, so this year marks the fourth time.
"And when … Kianna has gotten those things (gifts), I've let her know that she got them from Jesus. He had The Salvation Army do these things for us," Jackson said.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement