The holidays are a time to celebrate the joy and warmth of the season with friends and family. In Reno, the local Home Instead Senior Care office is inviting the community to celebrate with local seniors who may be alone during the holiday season.
The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Reno and Carson City is helping to facilitate Be a Santa to a Senior, a community program that provides gifts and companionship to seniors who may be isolated from friends or family during the holiday season. The program is made possible through the generous support of Reno and Carson City businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, numerous volunteers and members of the community.
“The holidays can be a troubling time for seniors. They may feel the absence or the distance of loved ones,” said Tracy Ward of the Reno Home Instead Senior Care office. “Be a Santa to a Senior provides a ray of hope for many seniors, and it means so much for them to know that people care and value them as members of our community.”
The local Home Instead Senior Care office has partnered with Smith’s Food and Drug, Bank of the West, CenterPoint Church, Paradise Salon and the Center for Healthy Aging to help with gift collection and distribution.
Holiday shoppers are invited to participate in Be a Santa to a Senior by picking up a paper ornament at a participating location. Participating locations will display Be a Santa to a Senior trees from now to Dec. 8 which will be hung with ornaments featuring seniors’ first names and their desired gifts. Holiday shoppers can choose an ornament, buy the requested gift and return it back to the store with the ornament attached. There’s no need to worry about wrapping — community volunteers and program partners will wrap and deliver the gifts to local seniors in time for the holidays.
“Be a Santa to a Senior provides a much-needed boost for seniors who may be isolated, not just through gifts, but through interaction and companionship,” said Ward. “We’re so grateful to have a community that comes together to show our local seniors they are not alone during the holidays.”
Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations:
Smith’s Food and Drug, 2200 US Highway 50, Dayton
Smith’s Food and Drug, 599 E. Williams St., Carson City
Bank of the West, 4950 Kietzke Lane, Reno
CenterPoint Church, 100 Breakwater Drive, Dayton
Paradise Salon, 3430 Executive Pointe Way, Carson City
For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com, or call 775-336-5333.