The season of giving
Angel Tree program launches
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CALUMET -- The Copper Country Angel Mission and the Salvation Army have officially launched their annual collaborative 2026 Angel Tree program.
The annual seasonal program coordinates community sponsorship to provide holiday gifts and cold-weather necessities for area children whose families are experiencing financial challenges during the Christmas season. The program specifically targets local households experiencing economic hardship who are not receiving concurrent holiday aid from alternative charitable organizations.
Copper Country Angel Mission volunteer Renee Tuoriniemi said the program formally launched operations on Nov. 1 and residents have begun to fill out registration forms. The program requires both participating households and community sponsors to complete separate registration steps, which can be found on the organization’s central website.
"People are slow at registering," Tuoriniemi said. "We have got to get those registrations up for local families facing financial hardships."
Because people have waited so long to register for the Angel Tree program in the past, Tuoriniemi said a firm deadline has been established this year.
"In the past, our volunteers were out doing this until just about Christmas Eve last year, and that is not fair to them and their families," Tuoriniemi said.
As part of the registration process, parents and legal guardians submit details regarding the needs and personal interests of their children. These details then allow sponsors to personalize gifts effectively. The registration forms provide spaces for parents to designate apparel color and clothing size preferences, alongside specific activities the children enjoy, such as reading, games, regional sports or television characters.
Forms can be filled out with such specifics that even detailing a child's favorite breakfast cereal or snack food provides important information to assist sponsors during the gift buying process. Sponsors are allotted a designated timeframe to coordinate and assemble the finalized gift packages.
Registered families select a preferred distribution location at either the Salvation Army center at 408 Ravine Street in Hancock or the Copper Country Angel Mission headquarters at 56901 Sixth Street in Calumet. The unified drop-off and pickup window runs from November 30 through December 18. Operational hours at both regional facilities run Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Residents seeking programmatic details or registration information can contact program representatives by telephone at 906-482-3420 or via email at coppercountryangeltree@gmail.com.