Thanksgiving has passed, and Christmas is right around the corner. Children around the world are anticipating the loads of presents they’ll have waiting for them under the tree from Santa and family.

Not every child is so lucky, and that’s where the community can step in and help through programs like the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. At Deaconess Hospice at 103 Whitebrook Drive in Brookhaven, visitors will find a Christmas tree adorned with an angel card. The card will contain the name and age of a child in need of a good Christmas, along with clothing and shoe sizes, and a Christmas list.

“There are a lot of clothes bought, but typically people try to get that biggest want from the list,” David Thames, who works at Deaconess Hospice, said.

Visitors can choose to adopt an angel, pledging to bring Christmas to the children on the card. Deaconess Hospice has been participating in the Angel Tree program for years, and Thames said the community has supported it. Deaconess Hospice started with a big stack of angels, and Thames said the community has been steadily whittling the number down.

“We have people come in just about every day wanting to adopt an angel,” Thames said. “We’ve also had some businesses come in to adopt some of these children.”

Still, Thames said there are at least a dozen angels left to be adopted. The deadline for delivering presents is Dec. 14. They can be brought to the Deaconess Hospice, or directly to the Salvation Army at 4138 Hwy. 51 S, McComb.

“If they don’t have the time or the means to make it to McComb, we can transport them down,” Thames said.

For more information on the Angel Tree, call Deaconess Hospice at 601-823-5990 or the Salvation Army at 601-551-6648.