Sub for Santa’s Golden Angels still need help
Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald
Bags of donations waiting to be sorted sit in the hallways of the United Way office in Provo on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. Donations are part of the United Way's Sub for Santa program.While many residents think about helping families through the United Way of Utah County’s Sub for Santa program — as of Tuesday 41 families still need volunteer Santas — there are others in the community that can go unnoticed who are in need of Christmas cheer.
These individuals are known as the “Golden Angels” and are a part of the Sub for Santa program. Christmas Angel Trees with stars have been placed throughout the county, each one having a person’s name and one or two things that would make their Christmas special.
A Golden Angel is an elderly adult or an adult with a disability who does not have any support, or any individual that is away from their home, according to Danielle Moran, communications manager.
One example of this is a family in very low-income circumstances, where both the parent and children with disabilities received gifts. According to United Way, they were crying and so happy for the presents.
“I brought the donations into the home and they had no presents under their tree. They would not have had a Christmas without the donations from caring neighbors,” their social worker said.
Most of the time, these Golden Angels are asking for simple things like Dr. Pepper and new socks or a nice blanket and hand towels.
The trees have been taken down now, but not all of the Golden Angels were selected by a Santa’s helper in time.
The United Way of Utah County is still in need of sponsors for Golden angels. If you are interested in sponsoring by giving just one or two items, please email santashelper@unitedwayuc.org or text 801-214-0882.
