Gifts for seniors needed
Published 9:57 pm Tuesday, November 13, 2018
- Home Instead Senior Care and Walmart personnel set up the gift tree in the North Main Street store last week. From left are Deneen Evans of Home Instead Senior Care, Walmart Assistant Manager Robin Gilmet and Kathie Czerwinski of Home Instead Senior Care. (submitted photo)
Home Instead Senior Care is bringing back its “Be a Santa to a Senior” program for the seventh year this year.
The program allows people in the community to purchase Christmas gifts for local seniors who do not have many family or friends to visit them around the holidays. They can take a tag with gift suggestions, purchase the gifts and turn them in, and Home Instead Senior Care staff and volunteers will do the rest.
“We look forward to helping our community again with the help of the community,” said Deneen Evans, client care coordinator for Home Instead Senior Care.
Trees with tags have been set up at three locations with about 100 names from a local nursing home. Evans said people in the community who know of other seniors who may not otherwise get a gift for the holiday are invited to call and add a name to the list.
“We will put their name on our list, and they will get a gift,” Evans said.
Each tag has one or two specific requests from the senior as well as a list of generic gift suggestions like large-print word search books, lap blankets and sugar-free candy.
Trees with name tags are located at the Home Instead Senior Care new location, 2000 Hillpoint Blvd. N.; Walmart, 1200 N. Main St.; and Jaimie’s Classy Cuts and Nails, 79 E. Windsor Blvd. Unit B.
The deadline to turn gifts back in is Dec. 7. On Dec. 17, a gift bag stuffing party will take place at 10 a.m. at Home Instead Senior Care, and volunteers are welcome to participate. Gift distribution will take place at 10 a.m. Dec. 19 at Autumn Care, 2580 Pruden Blvd.
Call 774-5051 for more information.
