AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Homeless Task Force held its last meeting of the year with leaders from the largest services for the homeless population in Augusta attending.

The room was full of people from organizations that serve the homeless community. As they finished their final meeting of 2025, leaders discussed some of the biggest issues they’re facing.

“Collaborate more, our people benefit when we do that,” said Nomi Stanton, chair of the task force and executive director of GAP Ministries.

The group focused on the upcoming PIT count, keeping the community safe in cold weather, and finding funding in 2026 to keep helping the people they serve.

“It’s what we do to take care of each other. And we want to make sure that all of our neighbors are recognized,” Stanton said.

Brittany Burnett, president and CEO of United Way, addressed funding challenges facing the community.

“We haven’t had the funds that our community deserves, and we’re trying to turn that around now,” Burnett said.

As the weather gets colder, services focus on getting information out about warming centers that help keep the homeless population safe in cold temperatures, including May Park, which is open overnight.

Services like those the United Way offers are important in the winter.

“Unfortunately, for some kids in our community, they go to school first to eat, second to learn. And so when you have a holiday break, then you take out two big components, eating and learning are both not available,” Burnett said.

As they look to continue helping people in the community who need them most, leaders emphasized the importance of working together.

“In this room, it allows us all to come together. That makes us stronger, but in like the best, most loving way,” Stanton said.

Leaders said that as the face of homelessness changes, they continue to expand their services and ways to help.

The homeless task force meetings are open to the community. Their next meeting will be in January.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County deputies are looking for a woman wanted in connection to a shooting incident in November.

Deputies say 37-year-old Evita Nicole Dozier is wanted for aggravated assault after a shooting on November 23 around 9:34 p.m.

The shooting incident happened on the 2700 block of Brenda Court.

Deputies say while on scene, they learned two woman were involved in a verbal altercation that turned physical.

During the physical altercation, a gun was pulled out with one of the females, shooting the other at least one time, according to deputies.

Deputies say Dozier should be considered armed and dangerous.

She is known to frequent the 900 block of Wrightsboro Road and change her hairstyle and hair color, according to deputies.

Dozier has active arrest warrants on file for this incident, deputies say.

If you have any information, call the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1020 or 706-821-1080.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – As the Salvation Army of Augusta prepares for its annual Angel Tree gift distribution, the organization is reminding the community that some children are still at risk of being left without presents this holiday season.

Every year, hundreds of local children are sponsored through the Angel Tree program. But when gifts don’t make it back in time—which happens more often than many realize—the Salvation Army must work quickly in the final days before Christmas to fill in the gaps. These children become known as Forgotten Angels.

Nearly 1,300 children across the region are expected to receive Angel Tree gifts this year.  Wish lists often include coats, science kits, hats, gloves, and other essentials.

Villalta says the children most often overlooked are older ones.

“Typically older children are the ones that are the last to get adopted, and that’s who we ask folks to get these supplemental gifts for,” she said. 

“People love to adopt younger children, and that makes sense. At the same time, there’s a lot of older children in our program. Our program goes up to age 12.”

Older kids also tend to receive fewer items because their tags are selected later in the season or, in other cases, the gifts are never returned.

Villalta says staff worried this year’s government shutdown and economic challenges might result in fewer donations, but the CSRA stepped up.

“We’re so grateful to have a generous community. They really showed out,” Villalta said. “Even just here at the Kroc Center, the tree is bare—which is a great thing for us, because it means the community has done its job and we’ve done our job to make sure every child in the area is going to have a Christmas morning.”

For Katelin Moon, who is the general manager at Panera Bread in Grovetown, supporting Angel Tree is deeply meaningful.

She grew up in a family that struggled financially and remembers her mother working hard to make Christmas special.  Seeing families choose tags inside her restaurant brings that experience full circle.

“I grew up with a very poor family, and I’m sure there were times where my mom probably had to use Angel Tree for us to make sure we woke up to a wonderful Christmas,” Moon said.

“It just means the world, because kids are the purest things, and they deserve the world.”

Forgotten Angel Tree tags are available at locations throughout the CSRA.  Some locations may no longer have tags.

• New Moon Cafe – Downtown Augusta
• Panera Bread – Augusta, Evans & Grovetown
• Augusta Mall – 3450 Wrightsboro Rd, Augusta, GA
• Evans Walmart Supercenter – 4469 Washington Rd, Evans, GA
• North Augusta Walmart Supercenter – 1201 Knox Ave, North Augusta, SC

The Salvation Army encourages anyone who can give to consider picking up a tag and helping ensure no child is forgotten this Christmas.