JANESVILLE — A line stretching through the hallways of the Janesville Salvation Army building was a visible testament Monday morning to growing economic desperation in Rock County.
What began as a quiet “makeup day” for the annual Angel Tree holiday distribution transformed into an urgent final push as local families, struggling to keep pace with a perfect storm of skyrocketing rent and other household costs, lined up for help providing Christmas toys and food.
In the Salvation Army’s 139 years in Janesville, its most recognized and critical holiday lifeline is the Angel Tree, a tradition that has personalized local giving for decades…