Through the Be a Santa to a Senior program, Home Instead Senior Care delivers gifts to seniors around the area who otherwise might not receive presents this holiday season.
The coming of winter marks the start of nights in front of the fire, hot cocoa and giving and sharing smiles and gifts with those around you. Gifts get passed around, carols get sung and food gets devoured. But it’s also important to think about the people in your community who are in need.
Many older seniors live alone without people to share the holidays with.
This year, community members can give to seniors in their community with the Be a Santa to a Senior program. Hosted by Home Instead Senior Care, Be a Santa to a Senior started in 2003 and came to the Vancouver area in 2012. Since its inception, it has brought together more than 60,000 volunteers and provided more than 1.2 million gifts to seniors in need.
“Everybody that hears about this program wants to get involved with it,” said Julie Williams, owner of Vancouver Home Instead Senior Care. “It’s not just a Home Instead effort, it is a community effort.”
The Be a Santa to a Senior program works with local nonprofit organizations to find seniors who are low on funds or those who would otherwise not receive gifts.
“A lot of our seniors are on Medicaid,” Williams said. “We reach out to locations with low income seniors.”
As a part of the program, community members can visit different locations in their area to find purple giving trees that represent the Santa to a Senior effort. Williams said each tree will have a “bulb” on it that contains the first name of the recipient, shirt size and gift request, just like any other giving tree.
“The gift requests are often simple and sweet,” she said, explaining that most of the seniors ask for items such as socks or cat treats.
Williams said one of her favorite aspects of the program is watching American Medical Response (AMR) deliver the gifts to seniors in homes around the area. She said she enjoys seeing the AMR teams go into the seniors’ homes for a good reason, rather than what you’d expect.
“That’s been a really great addition in the last two years,” she said.
Williams said the program brings in about 450 to 500 gifts for seniors in the area every year and that businesses in the area have jumped to support the program. If you would like to donate a gift to a senior in need this holiday season, visit any of the below locations to find the purple giving tree.
Mill Creek Pub
1710 SW 9th Ave. #101, Battle Ground
Clark County Prosecutor
1013 Franklin St., Vancouver
Firstenburg Community Center
700 NE 136th Ave., Vancouver
Frontier Rehab
15003 3rd Ave., Longview
Glenwood Senior Living
5500 NE 82nd Ave., Vancouver
Kent Place Senior Living
2647 NW Kent St., Camas
Marshall Community Center
1009 E McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver
Peace Health Hospital
400 NE Mother Joseph Place, Vancouver (basement of Health Education Center)
Riverview Bank Salmon Creek
Salmon Creek, 800 NE Tenney Road #D, Vancouver
Riverview Bank Hazel Dell
Hazel Dell 1220 NE 88th St., Vancouver
Riverview Bank Downtown Vancouver
900 Washington St. #100, Vancouver
Salmon Creek Plastic Surgery
13712 NE 10th Ave., Vancouver
The Hampton Salmon Creek
2305 NE 129th St., Vancouver
The Quarry Senior Living
415 SE 177th Ave., Vancouver
