The generosity of a Nesquehoning partnership will ensure over 60 children in the Panther Valley School District receive the top items on their Christmas list this holiday season.

The eighth annual "Angels on a Tree" event is a combined effort of the Nesquehoning McDonald's, Meed's United Methodist Church and an anonymous outside source known only as "Saint Nick."Panther Valley Elementary School provides the names of students for the program. The families of the children then submit the wish lists. Ornaments are placed on a Christmas tree inside McDonald's, where customers and employees take one. The ornaments will have tags that indicate the age and sex of the child they are buying for, and the gift or gifts of choice for that child. The gifts are then brought into McDonald's, where they are collected and taken to the church for pickup."We've had a tremendous response," said Todd Sheckler, general manager of the Nesquehoning McDonald's. "We put the tree up on Black Friday and started with about 10 to 12 ornaments. They were picked off the tree within two days, so we kept putting up about 10 to 12 more at a time."The event has taken off since its initial year to the point where McDonald's customers and employees look forward to hunting for the gifts."Most of the children ask for toys, but we also have some babies so there are diapers and clothing mixed in sometimes," said Bertha Shreffler, of Meed's United Methodist Church. "Some of the families really have nothing and they ask for anything that people are willing to give. It's really great to see the response we get. There are some Barbie and Frozen items in the pack this year. There will be a lot of smiles to go around."Because it's an annual program, Sheckler encouraged anyone who wants to participate to stop by McDonald's after Thanksgiving next year."It's all about the kids," he said. "That is why we do it."