Each year, Home Instead Senior Care offices throughout North America spread holiday cheer to lonely or financially-challenged seniors through the Be a Santa to a Senior program. The program has attracted upwards of 60,000 volunteers over the past thirteen years distributing gifts to deserving seniors. Since introducing the Be a Santa to a Senior program, Home Instead Senior Care has helped provide 1.2 million gifts to more than 700,000 seniors.
This year again, Home Instead Senior Care will be working with The Ellis Nursing and Rehabilitation Home in Norwood, Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation - The Harrington House, Norwood Housing and Foley Senior Residences in Mattapan. They have provided Home Instead with a list of seniors under their care that either cannot afford the holidays or have no family with whom to celebrate the holidays. Home Instead will take that “wish list” and set up Christmas trees in their communities. New Pond Village, Flowers and More, LA Fitness, and The Walpole Senior Center are among the establishments will be hosting trees this year in Walpole, in addition to out-of-town hosts The Norwood Senior Center, Cornerstone in Canton and Sophia Snow Place in West Roxbury. Home Instead is hoping to receive donations again this year from Wal-Mart in Walpole and Walgreens in Dedham for gift wrapping, ribbons and supplies.
Visit any of the mentioned retailers or locations and choose an ornament with a wish list item and purchase it. Once the gift has been purchased, place the unwrapped item under the tree with the ornament taped to it. Home Instead will collect all the unwrapped gifts, then work with New Pond Village in Walpole, Walpole Senior Center, The Walpole Firefighttps://hometownweekly.net/?p=15269&preview=truehters, Norwood Senior Center, Norwood Housing and Cornerstone in Canton, and Sophia Snow Place to plan gift wrapping parties.
Finally, the wrapped gifts will be taken to The Ellis Nursing Home, The Harrington House, Norwood Housing and Foley Senior residents in Mattapan. The gifts will be distributed at a planned holiday party for all of the residents of each of the communities.
Home Instead Senior Care has partnered with student volunteers from King Philip High School in Wrentham and Need to Lead, a group of community volunteers based in Norwood, to help with the delivery of all the gifts. Volunteers will attend the Christmas parties dressed up as elves and Santa Claus.
Gift wrapping parties are scheduled at New Pond Village in Walpole on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 1:30 and at the Walpole Senior Center (which will be attended by some of the Walpole Firefighters) on Monday, Dec. 19 at 11:00 a.m.
