Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU) employees and community members worked together to provide holiday gift bags for about 185 children and senior adults this year through The Salvation Army Angel Tree program, along with an estimated 390 additional gifts through various other programs in Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. This year’s donations marked the largest contribution to date, highlighting the strong community spirit of TVFCU employees and members.
“We have around 3,000 people enrolled in the Angel Tree program this year,” said Kendall Hudson, community relations and development manager at The Salvation Army in Chattanooga. “TVFCU greatly helped us serve these people, adopting more angels than any other business in Chattanooga. We really appreciate their support.”
Since 2006, TVFCU has hosted an employee food auction the day before Thanksgiving to raise funds for The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. The auction, which includes a variety of homemade dishes and desserts, raised $11,500 this year — $1,339 more than the previous year and enough to adopt 62 angels.
Ten credit union branches housed Angel Trees for The Salvation Army’s Chattanooga and Cleveland divisions. Seven more TVFCU branches supported other holiday initiatives, including the Stocking Full of Love program for the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office and Walker County Sheriff’s Office, Christmas for Kids through the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, McMinn County Rescue Squad, and Toys & Coats for Kids through the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department.
“The holiday spirit really comes alive through TVFCU’s efforts this time of year,” said Lisa Elrod, vice president of branch operations at TVFCU. “It’s heartwarming to see TVFCU employees and members of the community so dedicated to making our service area truly ‘A Place for All of Us.’”
Although the Angel Tree program has wrapped up for 2024, individuals can still support The Salvation Army’s vital programs year-round by donating at csarmy.org.
TVFCU plans to continue this holiday tradition in 2025 and encourages the community to visit their local branch to participate in November and December next year. For more information about TVFCU, visit tvfcu.com.
About Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union
Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union (TVFCU), a not-for-profit financial cooperative, was established in 1936 when 57 Chattanooga TVA employees pooled $500 to create the member-owned credit union. Today, TVFCU serves more than 165,000 members who live, work, worship, volunteer or attend school throughout the 17-county service community. With more than $2.7 billion in assets and 25 branches throughout the area, TVFCU is the largest credit union in Southeast Tennessee. For more information about TVFCU, please visit tvfcu.com.
