FOLEY, Ala. — The Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree” seasonal adoption program is being hit hard by the current rough and tumble economy. As of Friday morning, 102 of the 173 “angels” registered across Baldwin County and placed on the “Angel Tree” had yet to be adopted.

Simply put, an “angel” is a needy child who has been registered through the Salvation Army’s annual program that provides Christmas gifts to those boys and girls who might have no Christmas without the generosity of others.

“Registration was about the same as last year,” Edith Belder-Eslava said on Friday morning. She coordinates the “Angel Tree” program for Baldwin County.

But she said it isn’t hard to figure out why so many “angels” are still on the tree at the Food Court at Tanger Outlet.

“People have come forward that never had to before,” she said of those who have perhaps registered for holiday help for the first time this year.

These are people who have “fallen through the cracks” or been laid off from their jobs, Belder-Eslava said.

That’s why it’s important that those who can help do so. The deadline for adopting an “angel” and returning the gifts to Tanger Outlet is Dec. 12. The Salvation Army, a United Way agency, uses $30 to $60 as a guide to determine how much a person should spend on an “angel” whose ages are from newborn up to 12-years-old.

“We’re suggesting to people, if you can’t do it by yourself, go in with somebody else and adopt an ‘angel,’” Belder-Eslava said.

Monetary donations are also being accepted for the “Angel Tree” program.