- May 3, 2024
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Home Instead Senior Care and Walgreens have partnered to provide gifts and companionship to 80 local seniors.
The Palm Coast branch of Home Instead Senior Care, which opened for business in September, has partnered with Walgreens stores to make the holidays a little bit brighter for seniors.
The company’s Be a Santa to a Senior program has delivered 1.5 million gifts to needy senior citizens nationwide with the help of more than 60,000 volunteers in the past seven years. But locally, the goal is to provide for 80, all of which currently reside in Flagler Pines Skilled Nursing facility.
“There are many seniors out there who no longer have families,” said Deborah Ronson, Home Instead Senior Care’s local community service representative. “And they tend to be overlooked, and sometimes forgotten. Many of them are in long-term care facilities, and the holidays are a very lonely time.”
On Nov. 11, Christmas trees were set up at all three Palm Coast Walgreens locations, each decorated with paper ornaments featuring the first name of a senior in need, along with their gift requests.
Most gifts are small, Ronson said — anything from slippers and blankets to word games and stationary — but they go a long way.
The trees will be up until Dec. 15, when Home Instead will collect everything and throw a wrapping party. All gifts will be delivered Wednesday, Dec. 21.
The drive is similar to angel trees, but to Ronson, she and her company are hitting a separate, and just as needy, demographic.
“(We) decided to put this program together to remember our seniors, to give a little sunshine and a little holiday spirit to those in our communities,” she said. “The kids seem to be pretty well covered, but there was no program for the seniors here.”
Those who wish to donate should bring unwrapped gifts to any Palm Coast Walgreens store, where volunteers will pick them up for wrapping and delivery.
Neighboring cities are participating, as well. In St. Augustine, about 35 seniors are to be provided for, and in Jacksonville, about 100.
“It takes about less than 10 minutes to do something for a senior,” Ronson said. “It’s certainly a great gesture of holiday cheer and good will.”
Visit www.BeASantaToASenior.com.
Contact Mike Cavaliere at [email protected].
BE A SANTA FOR SENIORS
The Walgreens locations where senior gift requests can be found are as follows:
2475 State Road 100
109 Palm Coast Parkway
215 Palm Coast Parkway
