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The Salvation Army gave parents who’ve fallen on hard times a shopping experience for their kids on Tuesday.
The annual Christmas hamper program gives parents grocery gift cards while kids under 12 can take a look around the free store and pick out a few toys for Christmas.
Cpt. Adriane Cartmell of the Salvation Army Edmonton Crossroads Community told CTV News Edmonton there were 126 registered families this year, including 173 children and 75 teenagers.
“We’ve got a lot of families who are just struggling,” said Cartmell. “For a lot of families … This is the only way that they have Christmas. Without it, it would just be another day on the calendar.”
“Our numbers have actually declined a little bit this year at our location. However, I know that the Christmas Bureau’s numbers have risen, …
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