Ashley’s Angels Delivers Holiday Cheer to Over 1,200 Children

Furniture World News Desk on 1/2/2019

Pictured above are volunteers from this year’s annual shopping event.

Ashley Furniture announced that throughout the month of December, Ashley’s Angels volunteers were busy shopping and filling semi-trailers with food, clothing, and toys for children in need. This year the non-profit was able to bring Christmas cheer to 1,220 children across the country. Ashley Furniture Industries (Ashley) trucks, filled with gifts, Santa, and his elves, made deliveries to more than 80 school districts in the communities surrounding Ashley’s manufacturing and distribution facilities in Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. This year, the non-profit organization along with Ashley employees raised $290,028 in support of the program.

The all-volunteer organization worked with local churches and schools to identify children in need of extra assistance. Every child in the program, along with his or her sibling(s), received winter apparel and shoes (as needed), clothes, a blanket, and a special Christmas present. Each child’s family also received a Christmas dinner.

“The volunteers of this organization are truly selfless. I am so proud of their fundraising efforts throughout the year that allow them to bring cheer to so many children in need during the holiday season,” said Shari Wagner, President, Ashley’s Angels. “Ashley’s Angels continues to grow and have a positive impact on families across the country; and at the same time inspires others to get involved and give back to their communities.”

The Ashley’s Angels program was established by an Ashley Furniture truck driver from Mississippi in 1997 after he heard about a girl who was living in a car with her mother. The Ashley driver recruited help from fellow drivers to provide food, clothing, and additional assistance by helping the family find proper housing before Christmas. Seeing the impact their efforts had made in this family’s life encouraged those involved to form Ashley’s Angels.

Each year in December, volunteers line up to shop for the selected recipients. Shoppers are provided a Christmas list with each child’s age, gender, clothing sizes and special interests to shop for. The gifts are then wrapped and loaded onto Ashley trucks and delivered to participating schools for distribution to the families the week before Christmas.
 
“I enjoy being a part of an organization that gives back so much to the children in our local communities,” said Heather Bailey, Ashley’s Angels of Wisconsin. “Our volunteers shopped for 435 children in two days. It is always fun to do the shopping but it’s more memorable to see the joy brought to the children’s’ faces when they receive the gifts.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at next year’s shopping event can sign up online at www.ashleyangels.org under the ‘volunteer’ tab or email info@ashleyangels.org with their contact information.

About Ashley’s Angels: Ashley’s Angels is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that provides food, clothing, blankets, and special gift requests for children in need each year. The organization has generated over $3,000,000 in donations and benefited more than 20,000 children in Mississippi, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina since 1997. The community patrons of Ashley’s Angels, including local businesses and volunteers, partner with area schools to provide necessities to children who need it most. For more information on Ashley’s Angels and upcoming events, we invite you to visit www.ashleyangels.org. And for those of you who are interested, we encourage you to volunteer at www.ashleyangels.org/contact-us.html.

About Ashley Furniture: Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. (Ashley) feels that every person deserves more value for their money. Established in 1945, Ashley is the largest manufacturer of home furnishings in the world, and was recently named one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes in 2017. From design through fulfillment, Ashley is committed to delivering the world’s best home furnishing values, selection and service, and earning the loyalty and trust of its customers every day. Visit Ashley online at www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesinc.com.