A Sapulpa Times reader recently asked how families can sign up for an Angel Tree this year. For many Creek County families, the best-known option is already full.
Salvation Army refers families elsewhere
The Salvation Army’s Creek County Angel Tree has already closed because it reached capacity, the organization said in a post on its Facebook page. Asked where the Salvation Army is sending families who still need help, Mallory Parker, Red Shield Youth Center site director at the Salvation Army’s Creek County Service Center, listed other places to turn.
Parker said that because the Salvation Army serves all of Creek County, it refers people to Bristow Social Services, Caring Community Friends, local churches and 211, which she described as the United Way helpline.
Asked whether the Salvation Army refers families to specific churches, Parker said in an email, “No, we haven’t received notice of any specific programs at churches, we just know some help.”
In 2024, the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree provided Christmas gifts for 318 children in Creek County, Sapulpa Times reported at the time.
“The need is great for sure in Creek County and seems like this year is the strongest I have seen in the last 4 years,” Kristin White, Chieftain Care Coordinator for Sapulpa Public Schools, said in an email.
Caring Community Friends’ Hope for the Holidays
Caring Community Friends’ seventh annual Hope for the Holidays campaign is collecting toys, food and winter essentials such as gloves, blankets and hats from October through the end of the year, Executive Director Camille C. Teale said in an email.
CCF does not take open applications for Christmas help.
“We do not offer an open-application process for Christmas Assistance. CCF adopts children of families that do not qualify for traditional Christmas Assistance,” Teale said.
“We also try to have a Holiday Shop that is as close to Christmas as possible because we are mindful that somebody is stressed; we are trying to make it a joyful time for them,” Teale said. She said whether the shop happens this year depends on whether CCF receives enough donations.
Green Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery said in an email that it collects gifts for Caring Community Friends and holds a food drive for the organization.
For donation drop-off sites and other details, call CCF at 918-224-6464 or visit ccfok.org.
Sapulpa Public Library Angel Tree
The Sapulpa Public Library runs an Angel Tree for residents of Lynx Crossing. Library Director Kristin Haddock said in an email that one set of apartments there is home to low-income adults, and the other building houses low-income seniors who live on their own and have someone check on them a couple of times a week.
Haddock said the library will add numbered ornaments with residents’ wishes to its tree once the wish list arrives. Wishes change each year, she said, but often include coffee, paper towels and toilet paper, while residents on the adult side often need new sheets or video games.
“Each year there are different wishes. Some people move in with just the clothes on their backs,” Haddock said.
“If someone would like to pick someone, I put all the ornaments on our Facebook page and they choose by the number, or they can stop by the library, or they can drop money off and we can shop for them,” she said. “We try to make it as easy as we can for busy people during this time.”
The library does not give donors residents’ names or apartment numbers, Haddock said.
The ornaments had not gone up as of early October. To find out when they do, check the Sapulpa Public Library’s Facebook page, stop by the library at 27 W. Dewey Ave. or call 918-224-5624.
“This is a great thing to do with family,” Haddock said.
CREOKS Health Services Angel Tree
The CREOKS Health Services Events Committee is planning its annual Angel Tree for the children and families CREOKS serves, according to a flyer the organization shared through the Creek County Community Partnership in September.
“Every year, many of our children come from families experiencing financial hardship and may not have the opportunity to receive gifts during the holidays,” the flyer says.
The committee is seeking new, unwrapped toys, clothing, books, gift cards and other age-appropriate gifts for children and teens, as well as monetary donations. Businesses and organizations may also sponsor one or more children by fulfilling their holiday wish lists, according to the flyer.
The flyer does not list a deadline. To ask about sponsorships or donation deadlines, or to arrange a drop-off or pickup, call the CREOKS Events Committee at 918-884-5966 or 918-402-2797.
Know of another Angel Tree or Christmas assistance program in Sapulpa? Email news@sapulpatimes.com.