The Blessing Tree

The Salvation Army of Brown County and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) have joined forces to launch The Blessing Tree, a collaborative Christmas assistance program designed to serve families in need across Brown County.

This partnership streamlines the holiday process — from registration to gift distribution — ensuring that every child experiences the magic of the season.

Blessing Tree builds on the combined 40 years of service by St. Vincent de Paul of Brown County and The Salvation Army of Brown County, both dedicated to providing Christmas gifts to families in our community. This initiative builds upon St. Vincent de Paul's highly successful Blessing Basket program, established in 2024, where donors gave a $25–$30 “wish-list gift” to more than 400 children from 150 local families. Blessing Tree seeks to unite the strengths of The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree and St. Vincent de Paul’s Blessing Basket to ensure hundreds of families in Brown County receive meaningful holiday assistance.

How It Works:

The Blessing Tree is a community effort to bless our children with a $25-$30 “wish list” Christmas gift.  In October, Brown County parents and guardians in need registered their children ages birth to 18. Each child listed three gift wishes.

More than 500 children from 180 families are registered for this year’s Blessing Tree.

We Need Your Help:

To bless these children with gifts, we need your help. You are invited to adopt or sponsor a child or multiple children. Hundreds of “Blessing Tags” (with child’s wish information) are being distributed throughout the community. Blessing Tags are also available at The Salvation Army and at the St. Vincent de Paul Pantry. 

TO DONATE:

Want to sponsor a child and have a volunteer do the shopping for you?

Click here to SPONSOR. 

TO SHOP:

Want to shop for a child from their wish list?

Contact the Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul of Brown County to get a Blessing Tag. Contact information is listed below. 

IMPORTANT DEADLINE:  No later than Monday, December 1, please bring your unwrapped Christmas gift, in a gift bag, with the Blessing Tag attached to one of the following: (You are welcome to include a note indicating who the gift is from.)

The Salvation Army

(168 S Jefferson St). 

Mon-Fri 10 am-5 pm

 OR

St. Vincent de Paul Pantry

(2901 Long Lake Rd)

Mondays and Saturdays

10 am-12 pm

TO VOLUNTEER:

A wide variety of volunteers are needed to make Blessing Tree possible. Cookie baking, parking lot help, musical entertainment, gift sorting, set up and tear down are some of our volunteer needs.

Click here to see all the Blessing Tree volunteer opportunities 

The Blessing Tree Event will be held Saturday, December 13, 2025 at Brown County Presbyterian Fellowship. Registered families will be sent information regarding their specific gift pick up time.

Questions? 

Please contact: 

Captain Vinal Lee

Vinal.Lee@usc.salvationarmy.org

 Or

Cheryl Dixon – SVDP

317-319-5907 or cheryl@orrdixon.com

All donations are managed transparently by SVDP, with both organizations co-promoting the program and ensuring quality, safety, and community impact.

Together, we’re making the holidays brighter — one child at a time.