When you head to the mall this holiday season, look for the Salvation Army Angel Trees -- a tree decorated with the wishes of children and the elderly who, without the donations of others, might not receive any presents over the holiday season.
More than 45,000 North Texas children are in need of "adoption" and gifts this year.
It takes a lot of volunteers and organization behind the scenes to pull off the Angel Tree program. Inside the Salvation Army warehouse, Bill Baracani is the go-to guy.
He handles the sorting and organizing of generous donations and helps train new volunteers.
“Countless man hours and countless volunteers are what make this work,” said Baracani.
It’s a demanding task he’s perfectly suited to oversee. Baracani is a baggage handler for Southwest Airlines.
Ever year he saves ups his vacation time to volunteer an entire month with the Salvation Army. He spends the day making sure toys get where they are needed most.
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"I didn’t have to worry about a lot of things growing up. I didn’t have to worry if I had food to eat or a place to sleep,” Baracani said. “For a lot of families that receive gifts here, if it weren’t for this, there would be no Christmas.”
Baracani said the gift of his time is nothing compared to what he gets in return.
“Christmas isn’t always about receiving gifts," he said. "It’s the giving of gifts which is just more important.”
