With the support of area retailers, volunteers and members of the community, the local Home Instead Senior Care office will collect and distribute gifts to seniors who might otherwise spend the holiday alone. Last year, 900 Tri-City seniors received gifts and about the same number are expected to be served this year.
Tri-City residents are invited to participate in the Be a Santa to a Senior program by picking up an ornament from Christmas trees set up across the region. The ornaments will feature the first names of the seniors and their respective gift requests. The seniors who benefit are those referred by local seniors care homes and organizations dealing with isolated seniors.
Holiday shoppers are asked to pick up an ornament from a Be a Santa to a Senior Christmas tree, buy the item on the list and return it unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. The Home Instead Senior Care office will then enlist the volunteer help of its staff, senior-care business associates, non-profit workers and others to collect, wrap and distribute the gifts.
Among local stores involved in the program are Save-On Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Thrifty Foods and London Drugs.
To locate the nearest Be a Santa to a Seniors tree, visit www.beasantatoasenior.com and type in your postal code.
