Many local children might wake up to no Christmas this year unless the community pitches in with help.

“We have been flooded with calls and applications for help with toys and gifts this year,” said Rebecca Netznik, a regional manager for the Salvation Army Schuylkill Service Center in Tamaqua.

The organization collects and distributes toys to less fortunate children in Schuylkill County and parts of Carbon County.

“We right now have 1,000 kids and with the toys coming in, not everyone will be able to receive gifts,” Netznik explained.

Requests for help continue to come, and the Salvation Army has no other choice than to put them on a wait list.

In 2021, the Salvation Army served just over 700 kids. It was a record at the time, but nowhere near what the Salvation Army is seeing for 2022.

“We need help with toys. We need donations to make sure kids can get a Christmas,” she said.

To help, folks can take a tag from Angel Trees set up inside the Walmart stores in Lehighton and Hometown. The tags list items requested by local kids. Both stores also have collection boxes where people can drop toys.

Businesses or organizations wishing to donate a larger quantity of toys suitable for those ages 0 - 12 may call Salvation Army case worker Jael Houser at 570-668-0410.

Checks may also be made to the Salvation Army and sent to the service center at 46 Mauch Chunk St., Suite 1, Tamaqua, PA, 18252.

Donations stay in Schuylkill and Carbon counties. Most toys will be packed next week and distributed in mid-December.

“We need donations of anything we can get to make sure these kids will have a Christmas,” Netznik said.