In a story that seems straight out of a Christmas movie, a local woman and a senior citizen formed an unexpected connection through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.

The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program is dedicated to spreading holiday joy to children and families in need across Central Florida. If you’re seeking assistance this holiday season, applying is easy—but act quickly.

Today is a special day for us here at News 6 as we join forces with the Salvation Army to kick off the annual Angel Tree program.

This year, we’re looking to help 5,000 children ranging from infants to 14-year-olds in Orange and Osceola counties and 1,000 seniors in need.

News 6 and BFARR Contracting are once again teaming up with The Salvation Army for the annual Angel Tree Program.

As the holiday season begins, Maj. Ken Chapman, area commander for the Salvation Army, visits News 6 to showcase an iconic symbol of hope and generosity: the world’s largest Red Kettle.

Every year, News 6 partners with the Salvation Army and Angel Tree to make sure no one is forgotten. But now roles are reversed: the Salvation Army needs your help.

The Salvation Army Orlando reported on Tuesday it would be mobilizing its Rapid Response Unit and Emergency Canteen teams to support emergency disaster relief efforts in response to Hurricane Debby.

Organization expects to get results for hundreds of families ahead of the new school year

Cordearo Mable, 37, will go to prison for the arson fire that burned down The Salvation Army’s service unit in Kissimmee last November and caused thousands of dollars in damages.

Salvation Army Captain Ken Chapman said the work has not stopped since an arson fire destroyed their service unit in Kissimmee back in November.

The Salvation Army headquarters in Orlando is opening its doors and getting results for the Coalition for the Homeless shelter in downtown.

The Salvation Army Orlando Area Command announced the grand reopening of its Women’s and Children’s Shelter on Monday.

Volunteers and workers at the Salvation Army are celebrating the opening of their new Women's and Children's shelter in Orlando.

With the next blast of cooler air preparing to settle into Central Florida this week, some emergency cold weather shelters are opening in two Central Florida counties.

Ahead of Christmas Day, the Salvation Army alongside many volunteers helped some of our most vulnerable residents get a little more into the holiday spirit.

Experience the heartwarming hustle and bustle of Angel Tree Distribution Day with News 6!

With six days left till Christmas, The Salvation Army is still working around the clock to make sure families in Osceola County have the gifts they need.

Thousands of families will be able to celebrate Christmas as gifts donated by the Central Florida community will finally make their way to their homes on Thursday.

Bianca Ortiz, 18, is working to make sure things are perfect for this year's Angel Tree distribution day.

It's an annual tradition to try and raise money for the organization to help with feeding and housing programs as well as natural disasters.

A Central Florida car club spent their Saturday morning in Sanford helping the Salvation Army fill kids' Christmas wish lists.

Teresa Waldrop, 64, recently moved into the Salvation Army's William Booth Towers in Orlando. This may be her first Christmas without family in years.

Volunteers came together on Giving Tuesday to distribute personal cold weather shelters to Orlando's homeless population.

WKMG-TV and the Salvation Army team up for Giving Tuesday.

Through the Salvation Army, the effort of hundreds will ultimately feed thousands this Thanksgiving in Orlando.

The Salvation Army is changing their plans this Thanksgiving to meet the needs of people in Osceola County.

This year, the organization is asking to get results for 5,000 children and 1,000 seniors so that they all have something under the Christmas tree this year.

News 6 and BFarr Contracting are teaming up with The Salvation Army for the annual Angel Tree Program.

Salvation Army is asking to get results for 5,000 children and 1,000 seniors so they all have something under the Christmas tree.

The Salvation Army teamed up with Concord Hospitality to give away 400 food boxes, care products, and toys.

First-class recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods — dozens of them, scattered around the nation.

In a release, the Salvation Army said that the service unit at 700 Union Street had been vandalized and set on fire, with the suspect believed to be someone who previously frequented the building for services.

Every week, without fail, employees from BFARR Contractors have been volunteering with the Salvation Army’s Brian Smith Urban Outreach project.

Major Thomas Richmond with The Salvation Army is on the road and is headed to the hardest hit areas after Idalia battered Florida's Big Bend region.

Nonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community.

The Salvation Army of Seminole County has officially kicked off a fundraising campaign to help buy a community response van.

It's been seven months since Hurricane Ian hit Central Florida, and a Kissimmee family is still struggling to get on their feet while waiting for assistance from FEMA.

Liz Canet is a single mom of four boys, and even though she is a full-time worker, she has never been able to afford a home of her own.

A deadly tornado practically destroyed the small town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi and the surrounding areas, killing dozens and leaving a community in need of help.

A senior Valentine’s Day prom is bringing joy, laughs and a good time to a community that sometimes might be forgotten.

Cold weather shelters will open across Central Florida as a strong front brings cooler temperatures.

The Kissimmee Police Department is searching for two people involved in a burglary at the Salvation Army.

As the sun came up over Central Florida, thousands of white bags filled with Christmas gifts waited at the Salvation Army’s joy center — gifts that will bring smiles to families in need this holiday season.

Believe it or not, planning for the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program starts way before you think.

As the big day for Angel Tree distribution nears, the Salvation Army is still in need of volunteers.

An oncology social worker made a stop at the Salvation Army HQ to find help for a family she works with.

Alejandra Ramirez, 6, is known for her fun personality and her love for her family, though her strongest suit is her bravery.

A Central Florida couple is speaking about why they helped the Salvation Army raise a record amount of money for its Angel Tree program.

When you look at Tim Mack, you probably see a resemblance to Jolly Old Saint Nick, but at the Salvation Army, he’s known as the senior who steps in to help.

The Salvation Army kicked off its Red Kettle campaign at ICON Park on Saturday with its area commander riding the Wheel for 10 hours.

The Dallas Cowboys tight ends played their own live version of Whac-A-Mole.

The countdown to the annual Salvation Army Thanksgiving Day meal in Orlando has begun with culinary students, faculty and staff making more than 8200 traditional meals for Orange County’s less fortunate populations.

Eugine Blackshear was one of the many who got up early on Monday morning to make the long line at Exploria Stadium all to get a Thanksgiving meal for his family.

The holidays are the perfect time to give back to the community and there are a plethora of opportunities in the Central Florida area for you and your family.

It's that time of year again!

Brevard County is partnering with the Salvation Army to distribute flood cleanup kits to residents impacted by Hurricane Ian, officials announced Friday.

The Salvation Army delivered donations to Orange County hurricane victims Friday, just days after a donation drive with News 6 collected more than 100,000 items.

Marion County will be collecting hurricane relief donations through Oct. 22 in order to aid areas throughout Florida that have been heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian.

News 6 partnered with the Salvation Army to host a donation drive in Orlando — one that received more than 100,000 items to help victims of Hurricane Ian.

Community leaders in Osceola County are announcing a life-changing new program designed to help families purchase their first home.

The shelter that has served as a safe place for women and children for decades, will be renovated with a brand-new look at the Salvation Army in Orlando.

As shelters at the Salvation Army are overflowing, volunteers took to the streets on Saturday to make sure people in need had warm blankets and clothing ahead of this weekend's cold front.

Three cold weather shelters will be opened in Osceola County this weekend.

The Salvation Army is preparing to take in additional people seeking shelter from an upcoming cold front in Orlando this weekend.

Hall of Famer Julius Erving says the commercial success he and other NBA players enjoyed in the 1980s didn't just happen.

The Salvation Army says Farmington-area residents of northern New Mexico are donating gifts and money after somebody stole a van loaded with $6,000 worth of toys to be distributed to over 350 children.

Wednesday is Angel Tree distribution day at the Joy Center and families stopped by to collect the many gifts donated by the Central Florida community.

ICON Park is wheeling in the holiday season with The Salvation Army’s fourth annual Donation Rotation, according to an official release.

Mike Russell, 41, is finally home with his wife Kathryn and his two daughters Hannah, 4, and Brianna, 9.

Teens using Instagram and Tik Tok are trying to get the community to help the Salvation Army.

Hundreds of volunteers showed up to help out in this year's "HOPESgiving" event, an annual tradition that provides thousands of meals for people in need.

The woman passed away before she was able to fill out the Angel Tree paperwork.

Over a few cups of coffee, donuts and laughs, seniors at the Salvation Army in Orlando explained why the Angel Tree program is important and what it means to them during this time of year.

In the wake of the most devastating public-health emergency in a century and the resulting economic uncertainty, Americans provided more charitable dollars to United Way Worldwide than any other nonprofit focused on direct aid, followed by the Salvation Army and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, according to new rankings by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Southwest U.S. continued to bake, and weather forecasters kept warnings in effect for excessive heat in Arizona and Nevada at least through the weekend.

Dangerous, record-busting heat is spreading across the U.S. Southwest and into parts of Utah, Montana and Wyoming.

The United States is recommending a "pause" for the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate clotting reports.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released an update this week on the U.S. seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, saying it could be because more variants are spreading.

As Floridians begin celebrating their Easter weekend, many of them are just days away from being eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

A cold shelter will open in Ocala on Thursday after a frost advisory was issued in Marion County. MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A cold shelter will open in Ocala Thursday evening after a frost advisory was issued in Marion County. The frost advisory will be in effect until 9 a.m. on Friday. Freezing temperatures and frost expected tonight and tomorrow night. Remember the 5 P’s of cold... Posted by Marion County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, January 28, 2021The Salvation Army said the shelter location at 320 NW 1st Ave. in Ocala will open at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Scenes from the Dec. 16, 2020 Salvation Army Angel Tree distribution day on Orange Avenue in Orlando as families pick up their gifts. Year after year, the Central Florida community shows its support for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program by buying gifts for those who otherwise wouldn’t have anything to open Christmas morning. “When I first came to Florida, I had nothing and so Salvation Army helped me,” said volunteer Maureen Campana. Jessie Chapman, Orlando area commander for The Salvation Army, said the training process this year for distribution day wasn’t an easy feat. This year has been a really, really hard year,” said a woman named Edith.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The spirit of Christmas came alive during the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree distribution day at the Joy Center in Orlando on Wednesday. This year the annual event meant more to some because of economic hardships tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of families and seniors will receive gifts thanks to the kindness of the Central Florida community. When I first came to Florida, I had nothing, and so Salvation Army helped me. “Our biggest challenge is re-training everyone even me,” Captain Jessie Chapman, commander for the Orlando Salvation Army said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hundreds of cars lined up outside the former Orlando Sentinel building in downtown Orlando on Wednesday, waiting for assistance from the Salvation Army. Adams said she believes the long line was the result of more people needing help this year, a notion confirmed by the Salvation Army. Cars waited in line along Magnolia Avenue on Wednesday as the Salvation Army delivered gifts at a drive-through event. As part of its annual Angel Tree program, 1,000 more children were adopted by members of the public who purchased toys, clothes and other gifts for them. “(My friend) lost her job, too, but Christmas is for the kids, and we are doing the best thing that we can do,” Rojas said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – At the age of 6, Isabella Hermosilla was the youngest volunteer helping out during distribution day for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, which provides gifts to those in need. Isabella and her family, of Colombia, are visiting Orlando for the holidays with her family. Her mother said they found about the Angel Tree event and they wanted to give back by helping. Full Screen Full Screen 1 / 22 Scenes from the Dec. 16, 2020 Salvation Army Angel Tree distribution day on Orange Avenue in Orlando as families pick up their gifts. “God delivered, our community delivered, and it’s going to be a Merry Christmas in Orlando,” Chapman said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It was on Giving Tuesday two weeks ago when Joseph Ackerman, 11, caught our eye during the News 6 Angel Tree phone bank. “Honestly, I didn’t really want anything and also I want everybody to have a good Christmas, so I donated my money,” he said. Ken Chapman from the Salvation Army gave Joseph a big thank you. And that wasn’t all, Chapman surprised Joseph with a brand new bike after a donor heard about his generosity. And with that said, Joseph wanted to sign off with his own special message to all.

Despite record amounts of charitable donations this year, nonprofits across the country are being suffocated by the effects of the pandemic. December is typically the most important month for nonprofit revenues, as Christmas and end-of-year tax deductions drive a flood of charitable giving. That’s a $60 million drop for the iconic fundraising drive being crippled by the pandemic in numerous ways. Fidelity Charitable said it has distributed 32% more grants and seen a 20% increase in people setting up investment accounts for charitable giving this year. The national advocacy group projects 12,000 arts and cultural nonprofits are at risk of being wiped out forever.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Christine Dathe is along time volunteer at the Salvation Army along with her teenage daughter, Megan. This year, they are donating dozens of Christmas stockings to boys and girls in need. Dathe volunteered during the Angel Tree distribution day last year which motivated her family to help out even more. They are even thinking of donating bikes to the Angel Tree program this time around. “I really enjoy it like I enjoy looking for that special thing that treat.

The annual program started last month with the goal of adopting 5,000 angels, including 4,000 children from infants to 14 year olds, in Orange and Osceola counties. The other 1,000 angels are seniors who might not have a Christmas if it were not for donations. By 8 p.m., News 6 viewers had donated $187,000, and after adding in online donations, the number increased to $211,478. Angel Tree supports families like this Orlando couple raising an 8-year-old and two foster children suffering financial hardships due to the pandemic. To see a full list of locations, click here and to adopt an Angel click here.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Bells are ringing at the Salvation Army’s Red Kettles, but the organization is seeing record low donations. The Salvation Army in Orlando says donations are down by 83% from last year. Captain Ken Chapman says in 2019 the organization collected $16,963 during the opening weekend of the campaign. This year, only $2,986 was raised during opening weekend. Donations to the Salvation Army can be done virtually at www.SalvationArmyOrlando.org.

On Wednesday, volunteers with the Salvation Army worked hard to get results for kids and seniors in need. On Giving Tuesday, News 6 viewers helped raise more than $187,000 during a day-long phone bank for the Angel Tree program. Chapman said the funds raised Tuesday will be used to help out even more families struggling to put gifts under the Christmas tree, including children who are not registered in the Angel Tree program. Chapman said the Salvation Army is in need of more volunteers to help at the Joy Center. If interested, you can reach out to the Salvation Army Orlando for more information at https://salvationarmyflorida.org/orlando/.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Salvation Army of Orlando’s annual Thanksgiving dinner will look a lot different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. On Thanksgiving Day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Salvation Army in Orlando will distribute 5,000 pre-packed Thanksgiving meals from its gymnasium on 440 W. Colonial Drive. In addition, the agency is hosting a HOPEsgiving Turkey Drive on Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving. So you can tell this pandemic has had a very devastating effect,” Captain Ken Chapman with the Salvation Army said. It’s a reality millions across the country are still facing as we approach the holidaysBut on Tuesday, some of those struggling families felt a sense of hope with the Salvation Army’s HOPEsgiving day event.

ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando church is making sure thousands of Central Florida children and seniors will have stockings for the holidays. Elevation Church is partnering with the Salvation Army and filling 2,000 stockings for its Angel Tree program. According to the Salvation Army’s website, officials are anticipating a much higher need for services of the Angel Tree program this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Buzyan, helping the Salvation Army is personal. Click or tap here for more information about the Angel Tree program and to learn how you can donate.

For the past 24 years, the grandfather of three has been volunteering for the Salvation Army. When asked what the organization means to him he had this to say:"It means salvation for one through Jesus Christ. "And the Salvation Army, we're saved to serve, so that's what we do." A servant who has also seen tears of joy during the Salvation Armys Angel Tree event, where families less fortunate receive gifts donated by the community for Christmas. Carr said he appreciates the recognition, but is happiest when hes in the background, just serving the community he loves.

ORLANDO, Fla. Hundreds of cars lined up outside the Salvation Army building in Orlando Thursday for a food box giveaway. Each car received a 30-pound fresh food box with chicken, cheese, butter, milk, fruits and vegetables. "We had traffic backed up all the way around the lake so it's evident that people are really needing things this summer," Captain Ken Chapman with Salvation Army said. "I think it's wonderful because I'm a disabled person and every bit helps," Glover said. The Salvation Army will be doing a food drive-by distribution every Tuesday till the end of August till 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army-Orlando Area Command 440 West Colonial Drive.

ORLANDO, Fla. The Salvation Army will be giving away more than $65,000 worth of food to Orange County families in need Thursday as part of the organizations COVID-19 relief efforts. A large semi-truck filled with 1,333 grocery boxes delivered the supplies to The Salvation Army Mens Shelter located at 440 West Colonial Dr., Orlando on Tuesday ahead of the event. According to the organization, 30-pound boxes containing a variety of perishable foods like chicken breast, milk, fruits, vegetables, cheese, and other nutritious goods will be given out to those in need. Supplies will be given on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Salvation Army continued to do its part for the community by hosting its seventh different food distribution in Orlando on Friday. Central Floridians were lined up in downtown Orlando to get kits featuring snacks like peanut butter, apple sauce, and potato chips. More than 500 families were fed. “Whatever we can do to make life better is what we’re trying to do,” said Ken Chapman, captain of the Salvation Army of Orlando. “We’ve been very blessed with donations, the community has been very supportive, the businesses have been supportive so today was a great day because not only are we giving out some food but we’re bringing in a little bit of hope that you’re not alone.”

Unfortunately, not everyone who helps the homeless is doing the same, nor are some of the homeless helping themselves during this coronavirus pandemic. “Unfortunately, what’s happening is the homeless are taking advantage of that and are crowding onto those buses,” said Laura Licoski, founder of Facing Homelessness, Bradenton. “That message clearly isn’t getting through to a lot of people.”TAKING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY DURING PANDEMICBrown is known in the homeless community as a straight shooter kind of guy. “I don’t ask nobody for help and I don’t steal from anyone even though they steal from me.”Brown is frustrated with how the homeless community is handling the crisis. Brown said the homeless community is very much aware of the coronavirus and if behaviors in their own community don’t change, “I don’t think they can handle it.

African American leaders held an event Wednesday night to dispute the notion that Buttigieg lacks support from the black community in South Bend, the South Bend Tribune reported. Video shows a protester interrupting speaker Sharon McBride as he shouts, “Who chose these people as black leaders?” He then takes the microphone and yells repeatedly, “This is a farce!" The man was wearing a T-shirt that said “Black Lives Matter South Bend,” the newspaper reported. Buttigieg, who is gay and married to his husband, Chasten, also responded to criticism over a past dealing with the Salvation Army. However, the Salvation Army has pushed back at its critics’ portrayal of the group as discriminatory.