About two weeks remain for the community to join the Griffin-Spalding Salvation Army’s Angel Tree project, as it can make a tremendous difference for approximately 1,200 children in Spalding, Pike and Upson counties come Christmas.

As in previous years, The Salvation Army has placed trees at numerous locations throughout the community, and each tree contains the needs and wishes of several children — or angels — 12 years old and younger.

People are encouraged to pick up a child’s wish list hanging from the tree and help make his or her holidays a little brighter, said Salvation Army Auxiliary Capt. Rebecca Butler.

“Some people buy everything on the wish list, others may just purchase one item,” Butler said.

If a child has only received essentials, such as clothes, by the end of the deadline on Dec. 18, The Salvation Army will provide the rest.

“We buy toys in the springtime. It’s not nearly enough to fill all the requests that we have, (but) we ensure that every child has a toy of some sort,” said Butler.

All applicants for the Angel Tree were asked for specific information to verify that they truly need assistance for their children at Christmas.

While it is almost impossible for The Salvation Army to keep track of how many angels have been picked at any given day, helpers will regularly check on trees and move angels to busier locations, Butler said.

One location is the First National Bank on South Hill Street, where customers are made aware of the Angel Tree and its purpose to boost support from the community.

“There are so many children in Spalding County that will not have Christmas if it wasn’t for The Salvation Army,” said First National Bank Senior Vice President Dick Brooks.

Butler said that the economy has made it more difficult for people to be generous. In fact, some people who contributed last year are asking for assistance this year, she said.

And yet, Butler is satisfied with the response so far.

“It looks like we are having a decent response. We’ve never had all of our angels picked,” she said.

Angel Trees are located at Big Lots, Belk, O’Charley’s, Wal-Mart, 6th Street Pier, the UPS Store, Margo’s, First National Bank, Manhattan’s, the Sock Shoppe, the Racquethause and the office of Dr. Terry Wynn.