Salvation Army, 1804 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301, US

The donations dropped in Salvation Army buckets around Christmas all over the country are put to good work in places like this non-denominational house of prayer and community center. This branch of the Salvation Army operates under the motto "Doing the most good for God and the people of Fairfax County and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church since 1958," and in accordance with those lofty ambitions this Army base provides a year-round food pantry, heating and cooling assistance to the needy, assistance with clothing and household items, after-school youth activities, scouting-type programs for kids and teens and sundry other invaluable services to the community. Among the many noteworthy programs the Salvation Army runs is the "Angel Tree" Christmas effort through which donors spend their time and money to make the holidays a little brighter for disadvantaged kids. Members of the church say it's a particularly welcoming and diverse (both economically and ethnically) community. Worship services are held at the church at 11am on Sundays and the church offers a wide variety of other activities throughout the week.