33: How a Few Christmas Gifts Led to Lasting Change with Eleen Cobb-Adams

A smile really does make the greatest gift.

It’s something Eleen Cobb-Adams knows well. 

When her five children open a gift just for them on Christmas morning, those smiles make memories. 

Yet millions of American parents cannot afford to buy their kids Christmas presents—and the holidays can add additional financial and emotional stress.

Five years ago, Eleen was in this group and signed up for The Salvation Army Angel Tree program.

You could say The Salvation Army’s mission shines brightest at Christmastime—a time when the organization celebrates the birth of Christ by spreading his hope, love and joy to those who need it most.

From grocery, utility and gift assistance, to holiday events or worship services that provide healing and hope, The Salvation Army works across the country to assist people through gifts that serve the body, mind and soul.

And the Angel Tree program is one of the ways we do it. 

It’s for families in crisis as a result of medical issues, unemployment, homelessness or other difficult circumstances and who otherwise wouldn’t have the resources to celebrate Christmas. Names of these children are added to tags and placed on Christmas trees as ornaments. Anonymous donors can then take a tag and adopt an angel, shopping for that child and purchasing a gift to help make Christmas merry for that boy or girl.

And each year, through generous Angel Tree donors, The Salvation Army helps to put new clothes and toys under the tree for a million children.

Eleen’s kids received gifts just for them that Christmas and the family learned more about The Salvation Army in their community of Kaneohe, Hawaii. They started attending worship services, became members of the congregation and now—five years later—Eleen is instrumental in running the community food pantry as a volunteer.

In this episode, she shares about her family’s experience and how those simple Christmas gifts led to incredible and lasting change.

So whether you adopt an angel this year or give to a Salvation Army Red Kettle, know that you are providing gifts of healing and hope for those who need it most this Christmas. 

Find show notes for this episode and more at caringmagazine.org/podcast.