Be a Santa to a Senior, the popular campaign that delivers hundreds of gifts to seniors in Everett and surrounding towns was again a success in 2009. Home Instead Senior Care of Melrose, along with Johnnie’s Foodmaster, partnered with area senior centers and senior organizations to provide gifts for seniors that might otherwise receive little this holiday season.
From November 20 – December 6, shoppers at Johnnie’s Foodmaster in Melrose selected ornaments from a Christmas tree placed at the exit of the store. The ornaments listed a gift idea along with the first name of the recipient. Shoppers who wished to participate, selected an ornament and purchased the specified gift. The gifts were then wrapped and brought to Community Family (Everett) and area facilities so they could be given to the recipients.
Marion Dunn, program director at Community Family expressed appreciation for being included in this year’s program. “Seniors are no less deserving of a thoughtful gesture during the holiday season. We were thrilled to receive gifts for many people in our adult day care community. We hope to be included in the program next year when we are in our new building.”
Ross Capobianco, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Melrose, commented that “Be a Santa to a Senior is a great way to give back to the older adults in the community during the hectic holiday season. The program is also designed to provide social interaction for seniors who are less likely to have visitors during the holidays.”
The gift-giving effort in Everett is just one part of a much larger campaign taking place throughout the United States. Last year more than 28,000 volunteers distributed gifts to deserving seniors nationwide. In the past five years, Home Instead Senior Care’s Be a Santa to a Senior program has helped provide over one million gifts to 700,000 seniors in North America.
Home Instead Senior Care would like to thank Johnnie’s Foodmaster, The McNaught Law Firm of Melrose and the hundreds of shoppers who donated gifts. We appreciate your generosity.