A mountain of presents surrounded the Kingston Cove Yacht Club Christmas tree as the Salvation Army arrived to pick up gifts destined for families in need this month.

Capt. Dana Walters of the Salvation Army said that she wished all of those who donated gifts could know the stories behind the families and understand the need when a family is devastated by the loss of a spouse or child and work eludes them.

Around 400 families signed up for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program to assure that their children would receive a gift this Christmas, an increase from the 300 last year. A tag is created for each child that identifies their coat and boot sizes and “a want and a need.” The tags are then passed on to community organizations and businesses to do the shopping.

Walters said she was so grateful when the yacht club called. The program had lost eight participating businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t know how it was going to fulfill the remaining wishes. The yacht club asked for tags for 100 children, and gifts were purchased by KCYC members and customers of the Kingston Ale House and Cookie Creations.

Kim Clark, commodore of the yacht club and owner of the Kingston Ale House, said: “Although we are a boating club, we are very committed to our community and helping organizations that need a little extra help, especially focusing on families and children.”

Walters added: “It is such a privilege to honor those families by putting out the tags. People are so gracious to give gifts to others that they don’t even know out of the goodness of their hearts. To me, that is just genuine unconditional love.”