Commercial Metals Company (CMC) partnered with the Salvation Army of Southern California this week to spread holiday joy to nearly three dozen local children in need by donating bikes and toys on each child’s wish list.

On Tuesday, 17 December, the leading US electric steelmaker CMC presented the San Bernardino chapter of the Salvation Army with bicycles, scooters, clothing and other toys purchased by employees at the Rancho Cucamonga steel mill to fulfill the holiday requests of 32 children participating in the Salvation Army’s annual Angel Tree program. CMC provided matching safety helmets to go with each new bicycle and scooter.

“Giving back to our community is important to our company and our employees, especially during the holiday season when granting the wish of a child in need can bring so much happiness,” said Gilbert Hutton, CMC’s director of operations “For some of these children, these gifts will be the only presents they receive during the holidays. We want to thank our partners at the Salvation Army for all their hard work in providing care and hope to families and children in need.”

The Salvation Army Angel Tree programme provides holiday toys and clothing to assist families who are in crisis as a result of medical issues, unemployment, homelessness or other difficult circumstances. At CMC, an Angel Tree was decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a child in need. Employees selected one or more tags from the tree and purchased the appropriate gifts for the child or children, described on the tags.

“Every child deserves to experience the joy of the holidays, and we deeply appreciate the generosity of companies like CMC whose support of the Angel Tree programme helps lift the spirits of children and their families across our region,” said Major Edward “Duke” Markham, with the San Bernardino chapter of the Salvation Army.