Christmas arrived on Monday for hundreds of Horry county families. The Salvation Army distributed bags full of toys and boxes of food to those in need, and this Christmas, that need is greater than ever.
It's the culmination of an effort that started back in October. That's when families signed up to get help from the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program.
As donated toys came in, volunteers separated them into the proper categories and bagged them up.
"We check the angels to make sure that it's age and gender appropriate and that it's a sufficient gift," said Major Wesley Short, who heads the Salvation Army chapter in Horry County.
More toys are added to the mix from the Toys for Tots campaign and other efforts, to make sure no one goes home empty-handed.
But the need is greater this year, while donations are down.
Close to two thousand families applied for help in Horry County.
"Our applications were up 25 percent from the previous year and that's really significant because our donations of funds into our kettles where we buy food and some of the toys are down about 20 percent," Short said.
More than 150 volunteers are involved. Some of them come back year after year, lugging bags full of toys and wheeling bikes in and out. It's manual labor that brings its own reward.
"It just feels good to give back, even if it's not monetarily, at least put the time in and help. It's nice to see everybody smiling, getting their gifts," said volunteer Jennifer Mackenna.
Each family also gets a box filled with canned goods, corn bread and other fixings for a hearty Christmas dinner.
Without the toys and food, many families, like a mother of three whose husband was recently laid off, wouldn't have much of a holiday at all.
"It feels great to be able to take some toys for my girls, because we didn't think we'd be able to afford a Christmas this year," said Kindal Pearson of Myrtle Beach.
The Salvation Army's Angel Tree program has been helping families nationwide since 1979.
