Almost 400 children in the Tamaqua Area and Panther Valley School Districts could use some help this Christmas from the angels among us.

Those children will have a Christmas this year, thanks to the Tamaqua Salvation Army and the Carbon-Schuylkill Marine Corps League's Toys For Tots program, but there is a way to make that help more personal. That's through the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program."Although the Marine Toys for Tots is a valuable asset to our holiday gift-giving, the community's support through the Angel Tree program makes Christmas morning extra special for children whose families are struggling to make ends meet," said Major Sharon Whispell, commanding officer of the Salvation Army of Tamaqua.Angel Trees have sprouted in places like the Salvation Army Center, 195 W. Broad St., Tamaqua; Hiles Brothers Plumbing and Heating, 160 E. North St., Summit Hill; Cal's Auto, 87 Mahanoy Ave., Tamaqua (Hometown); and Lehigh Carbon Community College's Morgan Center, 234 High St., Tamaqua.The trees are hung with tags containing the name, age, gender, clothing size and special Christmas needs/wishes of an individual child. Participants select a tag, then purchase new items based on the tag information. Popular gifts include Legos, Hot Wheels, Barbie dolls and sports equipment. Bicycles are popular for girls and boys too.Taking individual budgets into considerations, gift-givers are asked to spend whatever their heart tells them. Gift cards are discouraged, as the goal of the Angel Tree program is to provide personalized presents.While children preregistered for holiday assistance will receive toys thanks to Toys for Tots, the toys on the tags are child specific, while Toys for Tots is more generalized by age and gender.The unwrapped items, along with the tag, should be returned to the Salvation Army, or an Angel tree location, no later than Dec. 12. Cash donations are also being accepted.For more information, call 570-668-0410, weekdays, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.