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Major Don Wildish has been with the Salvation Army for 22 years, but he is still deeply moved by the generosity of the community and the gratefulness of the people they help each year at Christmas.

Last year, a young girl who received her Christmas gifts through the Salvation Army gave him something that he is happy to be able to share with the community now: a thank you in the form of a drawing of an angel.

“I wanted to share with the community, not just a thank you from me, but a thank you from a child who received a gift,” Wildish said.

This year, the Salvation Army had 2,752 children sign up for help through its Angel Tree program, the largest number ever in this area, Wildish said. Through the Angel Tree program, members of the community can “adopt an angel,” or buy Christmas gifts for a needy child.

“A lot of people wonder when they adopt an angel which family got those gifts and if they were well received,” Wildish said. “This year, when they are enjoying Christmas with their own families, I just want them to know that the families (they helped) are very thankful for what they have received. What (the donors) have done — they have made a Christmas.”

Though hard economic times have presented challenges to the Salvation Army, which has had to serve more people using less money than in the past, Wildish said it has still been a great Christmas season.

“I just want the community to know that it’s making a world of difference,” Wildish said. “They have made a wonderful Christmas for hundreds of families.”