TThe holiday season has officially arrived in Lovelock, where the City of Lovelock has once again raised its annual Angel Tree inside City Hall. Applications are now available, and several cards are already hanging on the branches, waiting for community members to pick them up. Residents can stop by City Hall during regular business hours to select an angel and help make Christmas a little brighter for a local child in need. The program, a long-standing holiday tradition, relies on community support to ensure every child has a gift to unwrap on Christmas morning.
The announcement from the City says Lovelock residents have a strong history of stepping up during the holidays, and staff is hopeful that the tree will be cleared quickly this year. “We’re always amazed by how generous our community is, people here take care of each other, especially at Christmas,” the announcement read. According to an online search, Lovelock’s Angel Tree has deep roots in the community. Long before it was a city-led effort, the program was championed for many years by the late Judge Gordon Richardson, who made it his personal mission to ensure no local child went without a gift.
Working alongside volunteers like Lisa Booth and former Officer Wally Norris, Richardson and his small team organized the Angel Tree each winter, collecting wish lists, wrapping gifts, and even preparing holiday food baskets for families in need. Their effort mirrored the broader Angel Tree movement, a concept first popularized by The Salvation Army in 1979, but Lovelock’s version has always been a grassroots, homegrown project shaped by the generosity of its residents rather than any national organization. Over the years, City Hall became the heart of that effort. Dozens of paper “angels,” each marked with a child’s first name and gift wish, filled the branches of the Christmas tree. Neighbors stopped in to “adopt” an angel, purchase the gifts, and return them in time for delivery before Christmas morning. Today, the City of Lovelock carries on the tradition in the same spirit, focused on local children.
Anyone wishing to participate can stop by City Hall to pick up an angel tag or submit an application to request assistance. We would love to hear from you if you know more about the history of the Angel Tree and can add to this story or correct it. Please contact [email protected]
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