Photo courtesy of Carol Plichta The sisters of Delta Zeta pose after spending Saturday helping organize "Santa's Toy Shop" at the Salvation Army's Bread of Life Center Saturday.

HANCOCK — The holiday season is certainly a busy time for The Salvation Army (TSA). While bell ringers, affectionally known as “ding-a-lings” can be seen throughout the area beside the iconic Red Kettles, there is a lot of charitable activity by TSA.

Once again TSA is working with the Copper Country Angel Mission to provide gifts and more for the area’s children in need. The two groups, with significant contributions from the Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots program, individual contributors to the “Angel Tree” and local businesses, have amassed an impressive stock pike of toys, games and sporting goods along with essentials such as gloves, hats, socks and underwear.

One of the challenges facing the groups is moving the toys left over from previous drives as well as new donations from storage, into the Salvation Army’s Bread of Life Center in Hancock.

Enter the Sisters of Delta Zeta from Michigan Technological University. On Saturday around 15 young women, some dressed for the season, spent several hours doing what needed to be done. According to the Salvation Army’s Carol Plichta, the sisters of Delta Zeta, hauled up toys from the basement, no small task giving the huge amount of gifts. They placed values on donations from the Angel Gift Tree at Walmart, and organized Santa’s Toy Shop in the Bread of Life Center’s gym.

And while it may not generate the smiles and laughter of toys and games, The women undertook the task or organizing and categorizing the hundreds of sets of socks and underwear.

“All their hard work was working to make our Christmas Angel Tree program possible,” Plichta said. “I can’t thank them and all the volunteers for their service to our community.