Salvation Army giving toys to struggling families [Video]

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.

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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, …