Salvation Army concerned about supply chain issues impacting donation levels
ORLANDO, Fla. - It’s hard to believe we are less than 100 days until Christmas, but ongoing supply chain issues are bringing more concern than holiday cheer to agencies that use this time to give back.
You can expect to hear the nostalgic ring of the Salvation Army bell and see the Angel tree displays in just a few weeks.
"For a typical angel to be adopted, we ask for a couple of toys, shoes, and a jacket," said Captain Ken Chapman, Salvation Army, "This year, we are up in demand about 20 percent over what we were last year. We will be servicing 5,000 children age 0-12."
The agency is also serving about 1,000 seniors.
The theme this year is "Hope Marches On" – and a little of that hope could be that giving isn’t impacted this year.
"Just as everyone else in the community is concerned, we are very concerned about the supply chain," said Chapman.
You’ve likely heard about the issue – shipping logistics have impacted the costs and availability of a lot of things like paper goods, some food items --- and even toys.
Brands like Basic Fun Toy Company announced this month it planned to leave a third of its supply of certain items in China because it would be too challenging to get it here. If you don’t recognize the name – it’s known for hot items like Tonka Dump Trunks.
The announcement brings concern that holiday shelves could be sparse this season.
"About the second week of December, we’ll have a good gauge of how many are adopted," said Chapman, "we do have a couple of suppliers that we have toy orders and clothing orders on hold if we need to pull that trigger."
Governor Ron DeSantis has offered Florida’s seaports as an alternative to help alleviate the overwhelmed shipping ports in California.
Salvation Army leaders say they’re also working with Walmart this year to allow people to purchase toys at the store to go straight to the agency and they’re asking people to please donate early.
Those angel trees will go up right before Thanksgiving at the Mall at Millennia.