SYRACUSE -- Christmas is the time for helping those when they need it the most. Tuesday, the Syracuse community showed just how much they care.
The Salvation Army hosted the annual Christmas Bureau Distribution at the Oncenter Convention Center.
Families signed up about a month in advance, and it was a day unlike any in the past. More than 4,000 families signed up for help from the Salvation Army, which is over 1,000 more families than a year ago. The Salvation Army needed a record number of volunteers to accommodate the record number of families. In the end, so many people volunteered, the Salvation Army had to turn people away.
For the families that signed up, each parent was able to pick out a toy and book for their children, a stocking stuffer, and a Christmas dinner.
More than half of the families who signed up for the distribution were first time applicants, but the Salvation Army officials say they were pleasantly surprised by the volunteer turnout and the success of the event.
