Milton Kids Club Preps Christmas Barrels

by Hugo Bravo

Every Christmas season, the Susquehanna Motorcycle Club in Milton, Pa., puts barrels out in the community. The barrels are for anyone who has taken a Salvation Army Angel Tree tag to leave their donations. On the first Saturday of December, the club rides out to pick up the toy-filled barrels with large trucks and trailers, proudly taking them to The Salvation Army.

Thanks to their efforts, in Milton, the barrels have become unofficially associated with The Salvation Army. Donors began to come to the Milton Corps asking if they could have barrels of their own to gather donations at their businesses. Never wanting to say no to a donor, Lieutenant Evita Leach-Colón, corps officer at Milton, agreed.

“Another donor provided the barrels to hand out, but I didn’t want them to just come from me. They needed a touch of our Milton Corps,” says Leach-Colón. “And we have a Kids Club that is always looking for ways to give back.”

Every Christmas, the children from the Milton Corps’ Kids Club get involved in the Army’s ministries, sorting and bagging toys, separating Angel Tree tags, and even handing out hygiene bags. The kids come from families that are blessed beyond measure, Leach-Colón says, and they’re aware of what The Salvation Army is doing in their community.

“I explained to them the purpose of the barrels, and that they could decorate them any way they wanted,” she says. She instructed them: “Make them your own, and just leave a space for the shield.”

With colorful paper, Christmas stickers, and holiday music playing in the background, the Kids Club turned the plain barrels into creative works of ministry. Leach-Colón also spoke about how God calls us all to serve, and how little hearts like theirs can make big moves in ministry. Together, they prayed over the barrels and for the children who would be receiving the gifts that would fill the barrels.

“We also kept one barrel to collect food at our corps. Anyone who comes to us for help can take something,” says Leach-Colón.

The barrels have created new ways for the community to contribute to the corps at Christmas. Someone may not be able to go shopping for an Angel Tree, but they’re happy to put a barrel out for anyone who wants to donate a new toy or two, as if they’re contributing to a toy drive. The Susquehanna Motorcycle Club also knows each barrel location, so they can add the stop to their collection ride.

Thanks to two very different types of clubs in Milton, barrels have become synonymous with The Salvation Army here, not unlike the famous red kettles.

“Toys for Tots has its boxes, and in Milton, everyone knows The Salvation Army has the barrels,” says Leach-Colón. “You might even see them next to each other, and glory to God, our barrels are still being filled with gifts.”