WENATCHEE — Lt. Sergio Garcia is as excited as a kid right before Christmas. And a little nervous, too.

Garcia and his wife, Lt. Stephanie Garcia, are the new directors for the Wenatchee Salvation Army. Although they’ve been here for nearly six months now, this will be the Garcias’ first holiday season in Wenatchee, and their first ever as leaders of a Salvation Army chapter.

“I’m still a little nervous about our first assignment,” said Sergio Garcia, 38. “I want to be faithful to all the work that has been done here before. I want to find a balance for what’s been done and what more can be done.”

The Garcias replaced captains Butch and Kim Soriano, who moved to San Francisco.

The holidays are a big deal for the Salvation Army. Thanksgiving is when those red kettles go out in front of grocery stores and bell-ringers remind shoppers that many people could use some help this Christmas. Salvation Army kettles, Angel Tree family gift-giving, and food and toy drives all move into high gear between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Orchestrating it all is a daunting task, Garcia said. The Salvation Army has to hire bell-ringers, make agreements with stores where kettles will be placed and arrange for toy and food donations. And this all has to take place at a time of year when the Army’s social work and welfare services and church functions escalate to their highest point of activity.

The Army gave out boxes of food, gift certificates and toys for children to a record 975 families last Christmas. Garcia expects it will be that many or more this year as families continue to struggle through hard economic times.

“We’ll give out 1,000 food boxes and 4,000 toys in two days,” he said with a nervous laugh. “We would give out 4,000 boxes in two days in Orange County, so I know it’s doable.”

The Garcias are not without experience, having worked previously at Salvation Army centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco. This may be their first leadership role, but both are true Army veterans. Sergio Garcia is third generation Army. His father started work for his own father with the Salvation Army in Mexico. The family moved from Juarez to California when Sergio was 7 years old. His life was always focused on helping others. He went to work for the Salvation Army after school and was part of the Army’s computer department in San Francisco for 15 years.

Stephanie, now 33, got involved with the Salvation Army in Southern California as a volunteer when she was 11 years old and has been part of the organization ever since. The two met at a Salvation Army function in 1993 and married in 1996. Sergio and Stephanie decided to go to the Army’s training center in Los Angeles to become community leaders two years ago.

They have four children, three girls and a boy, between the ages of 4 and 12.

The move from an urban to a rural community has been a dramatic change for the family, Sergio Garcia said. But a good one. The kids are very excited at the prospects of seeing snow. He likes being able to drive across town in 15 minutes rather than two hours, as it often took in Los Angeles. He also likes the people.

“It’s such a caring, generous community,” he said. “Everyone wants to help.”

Still, the drives across Wenatchee are something he’d like to limit. Right now, the Army operates centers at three different locations. The thrift store and social services center is at 1501 N. Miller St. The church — where services, choir practice and youth functions are held — is far across town at 1501 Russell St. The family services area where food is distributed is at 1205 S. Columbia St.

The family services center has been much underused since it was built as a lodge for the homeless in 1983, he said. Garcia would like to move the social services center to that location eventually and make the building fully functional. Both of the Garcias are certified family and marriage counselors. The social services center also offers food, clothing and rent and utility assistance. The thrift store is now a fully independent business, not overseen by the Garcias, and would stay where it is, he said.

Garcia said he wants to develop more community programs to reach at-risk children and struggling families. He has lots of ideas to increase the Salvation Army’s role in building a strong community, he said. But for now, he has plenty to do with organizing the holiday events.

“I hope people will come up and introduce themselves to us and let us know what has been done before,” he said. “There are lots of things we don’t know. We want to mix our passions and skills with what’s already working in the community to make it even better.”

Rick Steigmeyer: 664-7151

steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com