No doubt Mary and Joseph would be turned away carrying their infant son, migrants that they were.

The Greater Houston area Salvation Army has responded quickly to clarify this:

"The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command does not discriminate against the immigration status of children or their parents registering for Christmas assistance through the Angel Tree Program. Requirements for registration in the Angel Tree program include some form of identification, proof of income and a social security number for at least one member of the family. The social security number is used to verify that individuals and families are not registering more than once at multiple Salvation Army facilities and to ensure people actually have the number of children they claim. Valid forms of identification include school registration, Medicaid cards, Consular cards, food stamps card, or birth certificates."

http://www.salvationarmyhouston.org/

As I have grown older I have become less willing to believe everything I read. My first thought was that this clarification is merely spin and that the end results would remain the same. I hope it's just me and my cynicism rather than the Salvation Army. Kids and the poor (especially when they are poor kids) are God's little ones. I think Jesus and the prophets had a whole lot to say on that subject.

Thanks for that update, Roger.

My first impulse would be to suppose the charities are doing due diligence to ensure that they are not taken advantage of. It is standard operating procedure, for example, for food banks to share information on who they are helping in order to guard against abuse, and to, more importantly, that they are most likely to provide aid where it is most needed. Likewise, clergy check around.

The Salvation Army has an outstanding record of keeping its administrative overhead low. It does more good than most any conventional church I know.

I work at a place that has a Christmas program like this and the Salvation Army actually helps everyone in the area with a database they keep for these purposes. It's exactly like Roger says... people can and do game the system. It has nothing to do with not wanting kids to have presents, it's that our resources are limited and there are PLENTY of people that will run around to every single organization giving presents, turkeys, food, etc and take from all. And this sucks.. but we only have so much to work with - we have to try to help as many people as possible.

There are plenty of reasons to be irked with the Salvation Army (though I still always give them some money) - this isn't one of them.

could be John - except for their virulent anti-gay policies - I do not give to them - others do the same work without discrimination.

A personal report from a friend:
..and yet one of our colleagues' parishioners with a Latina surname just posted a comment that her son was denied being signed up for toys for tots because she didn't have photo id for him...

Back in the 70's I was with a couple parishioners delivering holiday boxes of food to needy persons. Just as we were leaving, a child pipped up saying, "This is a lot bigger than that other box!"

Part of my own Advent meditation this year is the mystery of the wideness of God's love. I am striving to learn, understand, and someday to live the gospel where I am told by Jesus to give my jacket as well when someone asks for my shirt. And I am overwhelmed by the concept of a God whose love is so profound that it is offered freely to everyone and anyone with no prior conditions. Unconditional love and unconditional giving. Amazing things.

I have worked with very poor children for many years now. I do not begrudge them extra food or small pleasures like inexpensive toys. I know that many who may receive the gifts of the faithful this year may not eat well again until next Thanksgiving or Christmas nor have anything nice to play with again for another year.

A care package, however generous, will not last forever. The conditions of poverty are devastating and long lasting. I know of many, many children who will hoard leftovers in the lunchroom or at snack time to take the food home to share with their families. One little girl saved 4 Cheetos in a napkin to take home and share with her mother just today.

Whatever the policies in Houston (or anywhere else) regarding holiday giving, I pray that all of us who claim to follow the example of Jesus and the God who sent us the gift of HIm this season will strive to live up to the wideness of God's mercy and generosity of love.

After hearing from its critics the Salvation Army has changed its policy.

Yesterday they said it was not their interest to check legal status, although that was the effect of their policy meant to prevent fraud,
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6747215.html

Now they have announced a change in policy:

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_13914448

"Alanis says the Christian organization never wanted to give the appearance of discrimination based on legal status and decided to not require a social security number to register for its Angel Tree program."

We'll to see how that plays out in practice.