The Angel Tree Project is one of many projects sponsored by the Helping Hands Society of
Sacred Heart. Each year we receive information from the Department of Family and Children
Services and the Georgia Network for Education and Therapeutic Support (Baldwin county
school system.) The non identifying information includes the sex,race, age and suggested list of
items that a child in need would like for Christmas. These children are from homes that
caseworkers serve and from families that could use help in purchasing items for their child for
Christmas.

A group of parishioners then gather in the church hall to make angel ornaments, and each
ornament includes a label with this information. The ornaments are hung on a Christmas tree in
the church hall. On designated weekends parishioners take an ornament and purchase a gift(s)
for the child. Gifts are returned to the church hall unwrapped. Gifts are then taken to DFCS or
picked up. And the respective agencies are responsible for getting gifts to the families.

Parishioners have been extremely supportive of this project. This year we will need 206 angel
ornaments. Families look forward to sponsoring a child and buying the presents. We estimate
that around $10,000 worth of gifts are donated each year to these agencies through this project.

The 2026 dates for the Angel Tree Activity are as follows:

October 31: Make Angel Ornaments from 9-noon Flannery O’Connor Hall. All are
invited to help! No craft experience is necessary!!

Weekend of November 7: angels available for taking by parishoners

Weekend of November 14: angels available for taking by parishoners

Return gifts to church: (Aquinas Hall) over the following weekends…..

Weekend of November 21,29 and December 5(all due December 5)

Week of December 7: committee will take inventory of all gifts and follow up on any
outstanding gtifts

Week of December 14: deliver gifts to DFCS; school picks up gifts (helpers
needed to deliver!!)

For questions or information contact: Bonnie Kirschling at
bon.kirschling@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!