"Yes Lancaster County...There is a Santa Clause!"
Be a Santa to a Senior® is designed to help stimulate human contact and social interaction for seniors who are unlikely to have guests during the holidays. Since children are often the focus of holiday festivities, we'd like to help brighten the holidays for some area seniors as well.
Here's how the program works: Prior to the holiday season, participating local non-profit organizations will identify financially challenged and lonely seniors in the community and provide those names to Home Instead Senior Care for this community service program.Trees are set up in various locations with ornaments with the individuals name and gift wish upon them. These ornaments are selected off the tree and the gift is then bought and placed under the tree to be delivered to the Home Instead office. Local voluteers then aide us in delivering the gifts, and visiting the seniors at Christmas.
This program is a way that we can give back to our community by providing gifts to some of our most treasured residents. Our hope is that the gifts also can help these seniors recapture some of the excitement of their childhood.
This season was made bright for many throughout Lancaster County. In the programs fourth year, over 6,500 gifts have been gifted to seniors in Lancaster County. We are given names from local nursing homes, and senior communities of those in need, those who have no family, those who would not get a gift this holiday season. Some wanted a new sweatshirt; some just wanted a new toothbrush. Every wish was humbling. Hundreds of local families and 13 local companies helped us collect and distribute the gifts. All of this was covered by News 8's Carrie Fairchild. It was a very Merry Christmas for us all, and we can't wait to continue the tradition next year.
