LCA Employees Helped Make The Holidays Brighter Through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree
January 7, 2026It was a busy 2025, but LCA’s elves still found time to brighten the holidays for local children through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree giving program.
In the photo above, from left, Customer Care Office Manager Trissi Trusdell (who organizes the program for us); Darien Huaman of the Salvation Army; and LCA employees Pierce Heffner, Justin Bender, and Broc Andrew pose with a bin full of the gifts LCA workers generously provided this year.
LCA has been participating in The Angel Tree program for over a decade. Here’s how it works: The Salvation Army provides “angel tags,” which include the name, gender, and age of a child in need to participating organizations like LCA.
The tags are then placed on a special Christmas tree at a central location, or are distributed in another manner.
Participants then provide new, unwrapped, age-appropriate gifts for the children named on the tags and deliver them to The Salvation Army.
The gifts are given to parents a few days before Christmas, so the children believe they’re from their parents or Santa Claus — preserving the magic of the holiday.
“I am proud of our employees for making a meaningful difference in the lives of families in our community during the holiday season,” said LCA CEO Liesel Gross. “Their generosity is a reflection of our everyday commitment to serving our community.”
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree tradition began in 1979, when two majors, Charles and Shirley White, came up with the idea to provide clothing and toys for children during the holiday season at a shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The Whites had children write down their gift wishes and needs on greeting cards that featured pictures of angels. They then placed the cards on a Christmas tree at the mall. Shoppers could select a card and purchase the children’s wished-for items. That first year, more than 700 children had a brighter holiday thanks to the fledgling program.
When the Whites were transferred to Nashville, Tennessee, three years later, the Angel Tree followed. WSM radio, which airs the Grand Ol’ Opry, heard about the Angel Tree program and became the first Angel Tree co-sponsor. Thanks to the radio station and publicity from CNN and the Larry King Live show, the program became a national tradition.
If you’d like to help out in our community — either for the holidays, or at any time of the year — please call or visit The Lehigh Valley Salvation Army (610) 432-0129.