Christmas safe for 4,000 Baton Rouge kids thanks to donation
Holmes Hardware donates space for Salvation Army Angel Tree program that was at risk
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A Baton Rouge business is donating an empty warehouse that will save the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program after a WAFB story revealed 4,000 children might not be able to get presents for Christmas.
The Salvation Army will use the old Holmes Hardware for the remainder of the year so the charity can store and distribute Angel Tree donations. A car backed into the Salvation Army’s usual facility at the old Mervyn’s at Cortana Mall, causing structural damage that made a portion of the building unsafe.
Without a warehouse, the Salvation Army says the program could not have continued. Because Mervyn’s donated its unused space each year, the charity organization did not budget for rent.
Families who could not afford to buy their children Christmas gifts without the program began submitting their Christmas lists October 2 at the Salvation Army’s worship center.
“We knew God was going to provide," said Salvation Army Major Don Tekautz. “We knew we serve in a community that cares about people, although we were really getting down to the last minute. We were pretty certain that things were going to work out.”
Tekautz says the Salvation Army received more than a dozen phone calls from Baton Rouge residents who were offering their unused space. Matt Holmes agreed to donate his space a day after the initial WAFB story ran.
“It was one of the best feelings I’ve had in a long time,” Holmes said. “When we talked on the phone, Major Don said, ‘This is it. This is the Christmas miracle we’ve been looking for.’”
The Holmes family had been trying to sell their old hardware store location for more than a year. Until Holmes decided to part ways with the warehouse, it had been the primary location of the family business since 1957.
“They’re just very warm, wonderful, caring people,” Tekautz said of the Holmes family. “They care about Baton Rouge and they care about the people who are here.”
“It’s huge to be able to help kids who would not have Christmas otherwise,” Holmes said. “Being able to deal with Major Don and the Salvation Army is well worth it."
The Salvation Army is currently accepting donations, but the Angel Tree adoptions won’t begin for the community at-large until November 15. The Angel Tree will be in the Mall of Louisiana next to the Santa display.
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