MUSC employees who 'got a lot of love' during pandemic give back through Angel Tree program

When she heard that most of the Salvation Army’s “angel” tags would be online instead of hanging from Christmas trees, Kelly Hedges was a little worried. 

The program manager of volunteer services at the Medical University of South Carolina knew it made sense, with so many people working and studying at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. But still, it was different. Would people feel comfortable “adopting” angels — committing to buying presents for children whose families are struggling — virtually?

 

“We did have some concerns. But this community has always come together in ways that have just astounded us. Our employees said, ‘Let’s give back this year.’ They got a lot of love during the pandemic from our community, and I think that touched people,” Hedges said.

Departments such as the perioperative group at MUSC Health pulled together to help as many kids as they could, adopting multiple angels. So Hedges had a smile on her masked face as people dropped off bag after bag of gifts on the academic medical center’s Charleston campus on Dec. 4.

 

Salvation Army Capt. Mike Michels was there, too. “We have more kids this year than ever. We usually do about 2,000 kids. This year, we’re just shy of 3,000,” he said.

Even with the help of MUSC, the Lowcountry’s biggest contributor to the program, some of the children still need to be adopted. “This year, the need is the greatest we’ve ever seen because of the pandemic. Across the country, there are millions of people out of work. That’s just mind-blowing. We’re doing what we can in the Lowcountry to help out as many people as we can,” Michels said. 

“The Salvation Army produces nothing tangible. But we produce hope. We help people in the community help other people.”

 

The Salvation Army will collect donations until Dec. 14 at its offices on Rivers Avenue and in West Ashley. After that, people can drop off gifts at the Charleston Convention Center. Then, on Dec. 18, the gifts will be distributed to parents and caregivers to give to the children.

MUSC volunteer Liz MacPherson, who dropped off three bags of gifts, said participating doesn’t just benefit the families in need. “It feels good to do good. I’ve really enjoyed it even more this year.”