The holidays are approaching, and while many are preparing their lists and checking them twice, not everyone can put gifts under the tree. The Collier County Salvation Army in Naples is experiencing a high demand for donations this year, but they aren't running your typical toy drive.
Instead of the usual Angel Tree program, the Salvation Army sets up a unique shopping experience for families in need. WINK News got an exclusive look at their operation.
It's that time of year when the Collier County Salvation Army takes an old Rooms To Go and, with a little bit of holiday magic, turns it into a toy store. With the demand high and the community's help, donations ensure that every child finds presents on Christmas morning.
"We just had a very, a large amount of applications come in immediately when we opened," said Sarah Llanes, Toys for Tots coordinator. "I think within the first couple of weeks we had about 6,000 applications."
The cost of shopping for children during the holiday season can be steep.
"If people have a choice whether they're going to pay their rent or put food on their table or provide Christmas toys, I think they're always going to probably choose the rent and the food and the utility," said Patrice Gabower, director of development.
The Collier County Salvation Army partners with Toys for Tots to create a special shopping experience.
"We do kind of a shopping experience," said Llanes. "They create these whole displays of that age group. And parents come by with a shopping cart similar to this, and they can pick out the toys based on what they receive."
The toy shop is filled with clothes, toys, and bikes. To handle the current number of children who have applied, they need about over 20,000 more toys.
"In order to handle just the children that have applied as of right now, we would need about 21,000 more toys," said Llanes.
There are 145 businesses in Collier County with collection boxes ready to be filled.
"You can give whatever, whatever you want, and we will set it out there," said Llanes.
The Collier County Salvation Army welcomes contributions to help make this holiday season special for local families in need.