Santa Claus visited The Salvation Army Christmas Center early this year. That’s because the center found a building to call home for the holiday season in early November.

That’s the earliest the Army has found digs for volunteers to distribute toys, food vouchers and clothing to the needy. The center has bounced around from building to building for years.

“I can’t believe it; it’s never happened,” said longtime Christmas Center coordinator Beverly Gilmore. “It’s usually about the week before Thanksgiving that we get a building, and we want to be ready to go the first Monday of December to start handing out.”

Local people can start submitting applications today or call to find out more about the process at 414-0888, said JoAnn Peterson, one of the lead volunteers at the center.

“We prefer to do it at this time of the year,” Peterson said.

The center, in its 32nd year, serves as a clearinghouse for local charities to drop off donated items.

Volunteers and members of a State of Washington Department of Corrections work crew are busily setting up the center, located at the former Fouch Equipment building at 758 California Way in Longview. Watching them work, Gilmore gushed over the cleanliness and spaciousness of the building.

Recipients must fill out an application and then are interviewed in a private area. Their identification is checked, and they receive an appointment to come back.

When the recipient returns, volunteers take parents “shopping” throughout the warehouse. Parents pick out a brand new toy and new article of clothing for each child. There also is a used area where parents can go through and pick out a gently used coat, clothing and toys. They also get food vouchers for a holiday dinner, paid for with money raised during The Daily News’ annual Neighbors in Need drive, which starts Thanksgiving Day.

The experience should be a pleasant and cheery one, Gilmore said, which is why the volunteers spend so much time decorating.

“There are a lot of things that we do that we don’t have to do. We do it because not only does it make us feel better, but for the folks coming in who are applying for assistance,” Gilmore said. “It might be the best experience they have the whole year.”

The annual Christmas Center open house will be from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 30. The community is welcome.

Chris Nelson, a volunteer at the center for 13 years, said she hopes people will come in and take a look.

“This is a great need that the community has,” she said. “I think that people need to come in and see the community center. They don’t appreciate what we start out with. … In a week’s time, we can have it transformed into something absolutely beautiful.”

Look for 'angel trees'

Salvation Army “angel trees” soon will spring up around Longview and Kelso.

Covered with paper tags, each of the trees gives community members a chance too help children in need.

Mary Jo Grochow, the volunteer in charge of the program, said trees and tags should start showing up at local businesses Tuesday. The tags suggest gifts for children in the Longview and Kelso areas, she said. Other agencies provide assistance for children in the smaller towns of Cowlitz County.

Roughly 3,000 tags will be available in the two cities and Grochow said she expects about 2,000 donors to participate. The toys, clothing and other presents go to the Salvation Army Community Christmas Center for distribution to local needy children.

For details about the Angel Tree program, call the Salvation Army Christmas Center at 414-0888.

Grochow said she is happy to answer questions about the program, especially if it means a child will be helped through her efforts.

“Please take a tag and fulfill a wish,” she said. “Be a secret Santa.”