Soldiers’ Angels Adopt-A-Family helps veterans have a merry Christmas

TAMPA, Fla. - Affording Christmas presents can be hard, and for deployed troops and veterans it is even harder. Thanks, to a national organization military families are having a happier holiday season.

For retired Army veteran Abigail Morales, to say that 2021 has been a hard year would be an understatement. She lost her 8-month-old son Bohdi, to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) earlier this year. 

"Honestly, just losing my son has been, has tested me in ways that no one can imagine," she said.

She has three other children and making ends meet can be difficult, especially during the holiday season when it's time to buy gifts. 

"It would it would have definitely been tough. You know, I would have had to probably juggle bills around," she said.

That won't be necessary thanks to the Soldiers’ Angels Adopt-A-Family Christmas program. They provide gifts and grocery store cards to ensure military families have a happy holiday season. 

"They provided a lot of protection to us to make sure that we were free and that our children and grandchildren will be free. And I think it's our important to do our part," said Amy Palmer, president and CEO of Soldiers Angels. 

The national non-profit organization was started in 2003 by the family of General George Patton, a World War II military hero. 

"Initially, after the invasion of Iraq, Patty Patton-Bader, son Brandon, was deployed to Iraq and he was asking for care packages for himself and for members of his unit, and she was sending packages as fast as she could. But he kept asking for more and more because other people in his unit weren't receiving them. So Patty set up a website where people could go and adopt deployed service members and support them during the course of the deployment," added Palmer. 

The mission has changed now that there are fewer deployments.

"You know, a lot of the veterans we support are homeless and low income, so there is a huge need and food programs, hygiene items, homeless services, you know, box lunches, hygiene kits, all sorts of things for low income and homeless veterans," Palmer said. 

For families like Abigail's, it is truly a blessing. 

"You know, for those out there who can't afford to give their children a great Christmas or who can't afford to get them what they want. So these are programs out there and those people who donate, you're impacting these lives in a very big way. It may be something small to you, but to us, it's something major," she said.

The program is showing gratitude for the sacrifice military families make to keep us all safe. To learn more, visit www.soldiersangels.org.