RICHMOND, Va. — Christmas is still over a month away, but one Virginia organization is already getting into the holiday spirit to help senior citizens have gifts under their trees this year.
Home Instead Richmond and Tappahannock have started their "Santa to Senior" program, which is now in its 18th year.
The organization said the idea is to give back to senior citizens in the community who might not otherwise be having a Christmas with family.
They've already picked names of seniors from Area Agency on Aging and have created tags that have the names of the seniors on them along with and their Christmas wish list.
"The things that these seniors are asking for are not sort of what we would think of as a Christmas wishlist," Kelly Christe-Cook, Director of Operations for Home Instead Richmond and Tappahannock, said. "A lot of times it's socks, it's toiletries. I've had several where they need toothbrushes and toothpaste and soap and things that would just break your heart. So, there are a lot of things on these lists just help them stay warm this winter."
All you have to do as a volunteer is pick up the tag, shop for your senior citizen, wrap the gifts listed on the wishlist and return them.
The organization said once they have all the gifts, local firefighters will help deliver them and perform safety checks at the home of each senior.
The window to help volunteer is now until the end of this month. You can visit the Richmond location at 2565 Homeview Drive or the Tappahannock location at 1263 Tappahannock Boulevard. Or you can help with a simple donation.
