For the past couple of years, the Ugly Dog Pub in Highlands has given back to the community each Christmas by teaming up with Salvation Army to provide kids with Christmas gifts.
Ugly Dog manager Kellye Vos, who used to do the program in Philadelphia, said the pub is now taking sponsorships for the Angel Tree.
“I started doing this back when I had my first kid,” Vos said. “I wanted to do it so I could give back to other children. So, I brought it up to the staff and everybody showed so much interest in it. The first year we did it, we ended up giving gifts to 35 kids. It felt good to give people the opportunity to give back.”
Last year, 50 angels were on the tree and Vos said every single angel was picked up.
“Everybody in the community really supported what we were doing,” Vos said. “I don’t think a lot of people expected us to do it, but they all loved it. They have been really receptive and always asking when we are going to do it so they can pick up an angel.”
The kids are chosen through the Salvation Army and specific to Western North Carolina.
“I wanted to make sure that we were giving these gifts to children in our area,” Vos said. “So, the woman I speak to is in the Waynesville office, so it is all local children all the way from Highlands, Franklin, Sylva to Waynesville. It is always one specific child with a name, age, toys they have chosen, clothes sizes and things like that. The age range is usually all the way to 18-year-olds.”
Vos said one reason she does this in Highlands is because people may not know that there are children who do not get Christmas presents every year.
“I don’t think people understand how much poverty we have in our area,” Vos said. “We are so blessed up here in Highlands, so I don’t think people see it, but even in Highlands there are some kids that don’t get presents. I think to see how many children there are is really eye opening.”
Sponsorship for angels began on Nov. 11, and the guidelines to sponsor an angel are below:
• Choose a child off of the Ugly Dog Christmas Angel Tree.
• Purchase at least two toys and two outfits from the specific child’s wish list.
• Do not wrap the gifts.
• Clearly attach the child’s ornament to the gifts purchased. (A bag is fine.)
• You may donate wrapping paper with your gifts.
• All gifts are due in on Dec. 3, to the Ugly Dog Pub. You may drop them off with any Ugly Dog employee.
- By Christopher Smith