'It means the world to me': East Cleveland Salvation Army captain devotes life to mission that helped her as a child

EUCLID, Ohio — Step inside a warehouse on Bluestone Boulevard in Euclid , and you'll find yourself in the middle of something extraordinary.

The Salvation Army calls it "Santa's Toy Shop." Row after row of volunteers move with purpose, sorting toys, packing gift bags, preparing to bring Christmas joy to more than 6,300 children across Cuyahoga County who might otherwise go without.

"We call this place Santa's Toy Shop. We call it the Salvation Army's Toy Land," says Joel Ashcraft, Area Commander for The Salvation Army in Greater Cleveland. "The real reason that we are here is we want to spread joy to the community. That's what Christmas is all about."

But this year, that mission has taken on new urgency.

The need has never been greater

The numbers are staggering. The Salvation Army