I received this letter from Lieutenant Kenneth Guest from the Salvation Army church on the Oxford Road. We supported Operation S.A.N.T.A last year (see here) and I am happy to support it again. I think Kenneth's letter says it all:
LAUNCH OF OPERATION S.A.N.T.A.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen.
For a number of years now The
Salvation Army in Reading have launched a Toy Appeal. This year is no different
and so we are launching;
OPERATION S.A.N.TA. (SALVATION ARMY NEW TOY APPEAL).
Thanks to your fantastic
generosity we have been able to distribute 100’s of gifts donated for children
who were living in social services care or extreme poverty.
The need to provide for these
children is just as great this year (the entirety of the gifts donated to
social services and local professionals last year still only scratched the
surface) and so I am hoping to help arrange for even more of these children to
receive at least one present this Christmas.
Be assured that in addition
to the kind donations we receive from members of the public, and collections
carried out in your work places, we as Salvationists across the Three corps in
Reading, hold a Toy Service, this year it is December 8th at
which our members contribute a colossal
amount of toys.
Over the last couple of years
we have been able to see the list of children (listed by sex and age from
babies to 16 years) for whom gifts are requested.
It struck me (alongside the
sadness I felt thinking of any child in such circumstances) that this is a
relatively easy and tangible way to make a difference to a child's Christmas
and so I wondered if any of you might also like to buy a gift for one of these
children.
The presents can be handed in
to any Salvation Army Centre in Reading, although Reading West Corps based in
the Oxford Road, will be co-ordinating the appeal. We will then hand over the
gifts to social services, family workers, children’s centres and health
visitors to distribute the gifts to the relevant children thus ensuring that
the most needy children receive a present.
If you would like to buy a
gift for a child in Reading, then you might like to choose one of these
options:
1.
Buy and send a
gift to any Salvation Army centre to arrive by 12 December.
2.
Order a gift
online to be delivered to us by 12 December.
3.
Send a donation
so that we can buy a gift on your behalf for a specific child
As many of us know,
particularly for young children, receiving a present is often not about how
much the present is worth but the excitement of having something to open (or a
cardboard box to play with!) so really any donation will be appreciated.
Having said that, I do
recognise that many people have charities to which they regularly donate and/or
this may not be a way in which you would like to contribute, which of course is
absolutely fine and I hope you don't mind me asking.
If you would like more
information about the Salvation Army in Reading or about our Toy Appeal please don’t
hesitate to ring me or email me.
Thank you for the time you
have taken to read this letter.
May God Bless You.
Lieutenant Kenneth Guest
Commanding Officer
Reading West Corps
PS – Please do NOT wrap the
gifts as this will make it easier for us to allocate the presents.
