Hundreds of people queued up for free turkeys, toys and food vouchers courtesy of the Salvation Army yesterday.The annual handout created chaotic scenes at the Botanical Gardens, as charity recipients joined lengthy queues for the items.Family Service and Thrift manager Lynn Gordon said: “We have the general public picking up their Christmas hampers, consisting of a voucher, a grab bag of tinned goods, toys if they need it and either a chicken or a turkey for the family.”She explained that people had to apply last month and produce a utility bill and ID to prove who they were — but there was no income assessment to qualify.“You don’t really have to prove your income as you may have an income but still be living hand-to-mouth if you are on a lower income,” she explained.Ms Gordon added that while the Salvation Army made sure that qualifying persons had all they needed for Christmas, some were approaching other organisations for help too.“When you leave here you shouldn’t need to go to any other organisation as we take care of all their needs and even give out Christmas trees,” she explained.“People are so grateful, but I think there is a little bit of stress going around and we find a lot of them are double-dipping because of the state of the economy.“People are getting in panic mode if they haven’t worked in three or four months.”She said up to 700 families will receive help through the programme, and there is additional assistance for the homeless this Christmas.One grateful recipient, a 30-year-old single mother from the City of Hamilton, picked up six bags full of toys and food for herself and her seven-year-old son.“I have been participating for the last two years. Times are hard, and it’s good that they are doing it for people,” she said.“Christmas would be really tough for me otherwise, considering I am a single parent doing things on my own.”A father from Pembroke, aged in his 40s and working for Works and Engineering, said: “It means a lot.“It brings the spirit of Christmas even more when someone can give you something.“My children are two and five and I would be struggling without this. It will help a little.”An elderly Jamaican lady, weighed down with bags full of free items, said simply: “It means a lot to me. Thank God for it.”A Parks Department worker watching the hordes of people coming and going commented: “The Salvation Army is doing an excellent job. I have worked here for three years and they are doing a great job.“You can tell from the amount of people that arrived early how much it is needed. It was supposed to start at 9.30am but people were here from 8am.”