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This year, Home Instead is celebrating 20 years of bringing joy to the Jefferson, Hardin, Orange, Chambers and Jasper County communities with “Be a Santa to a Senior,” a gift-giving program for older adults who may be overlooked, isolated or alone during the holiday season.
Since the program’s nationwide inception in 2003, “Be a Santa to a Senior” has engaged more than 65,000 volunteers, provided more than 2.2 million gifts, and shared the holiday spirit with about 800,000 older adults.
“The holidays can be hard for many older adults, especially those who may not have a companion to share them with and it’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact that ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ has had over the past 20 years,” said Curtis Arnold, home care consultant of the Beaumont Home Instead office. “Gifts aside, the true value is the connection ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ makes between the community and our older neighbors.”
This year, program coordinators hope to collect up to 3,000 gifts for older adults in the area.
To participate, shoppers can look for the “Be a Santa to a Senior” tree or displays are Walgreens, CVS, Family Pharmacy and Market Basket locations in Southeast Texas.
Ornaments featuring the desired gift of an older adult will be on display, and shoppers can buy the requested gift and return it unwrapped to the location with the ornament attached. Ornaments will be available until Dec. 21. The gifts will be delivered to local older adults in time for the holidays.
Arnold added that “Be a Santa to a Senior” brings together the entire community, with support from local businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, volunteers, and countless other community members. The Home Instead office serving Beaumont has partnered with the Orange and Jefferson County Nutrition Service Center to assist with gift collection and distribution.