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Holiday Donations Sought For Seniors

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 6, 2008

Cheerios, cheese crackers, clothing and grocery gift certificates are among the most requested items in Home Instead Senior Care's Be a Santa to a Senior program, a nationally based program that last year supplied 515,500 gifts to 318,500 seniors.

"It's very humbling," said Joy A. Cook, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office in New Port Richey. "They're asking for the basics."

For the first time, Be a Santa to a Senior is coming to Pasco County. It will help seniors identified by guardians with Home Instead Senior Care, an agency that provides a variety of services for homebound seniors; and by nursing homes Madison Pointe, Southern Pines and Orchard Ridge in New Port Richey, and Bear Creek in Hudson.

"These are people who either never receive visitors, or whose families may be too financially strapped to afford gifts," Cook said. "We see older adults who have no one during this festive season and that makes for a very sad and lonely time."

This summer, Cook formed a committee that would make Be A Santa a reality in Pasco County. It includes Marilynn deChant, owner of deChant Public Relations; Barb Glader, Home Instead; Liza Lucadano, Office A La Carte; Trish Cook, Total Loving Care; Sonia McIntosh, Holiday Inn Epress; and Howard Cook, Home Instead.

In November, Christmas wreaths and trees went up at Bealls Department Store, 7201 State Road 54 in New Port Richey; additional wreaths were given to other participating businesses. All of these feature ornaments with the first names of seniors and their gift requests.

People can pick a Be a Santa ornament from the wreath or tree, buy some or all of the items on the list provided, then deliver them unwrapped to the hosting businesses - with the senior ornament attached - by Wednesday.

Cook said many agencies and individuals have "adopted" seniors for this program; in addition, Be a Santa received $1,000 from state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.

After all gifts are in, Home Instead Senior Care will enlist volunteers to wrap these items at a Dec. 16 gift-wrapping party at Port Richey's Holiday Inn Express. The gifts then will be delivered to seniors in need.

"Many holiday giving efforts focus on children, and rightfully so," said Cook, "but we've got another group of people who are forgotten. And they've been giving all their lives."

Operation Unwrap a Smile, a nonprofit organization operated by Land O' Lakes residents Herbert and Stephanie Roshell, also will play Santa this year, and seeks donations to fulfill its mission of helping the needy in this and surrounding communities.

"We plan to distribute to the Sheriffs' Youth Ranch Youth Villa, Bradenton Boys Home, The Children's Home, three private shelters and West Bay Nursing Home for the holidays," Stephanie Roshell said.

Needed donations include toiletries, trinkets, toys and teen-related items such as handheld games and radios.

"A lot of teens are in these shelters and we especially need stuff for them," Roshell said. "There are so many people in need at this time."

Operation Unwrap will host a gift-wrapping party at the Roshell home at 10 a.m. Dec. 12, where they have invited neighbors to help them wrap donations for a Christmastime distribution to the shelters they aid.

"This will help promote community togetherness and also show the community what Operation Unwrap A Smile is all about," Roshell said.

Operation Unwrap a Smile also is "assisting Toys For Tots this year as well to continue our community networking," Roshell said. "We enjoy doing this because we have the same vision and goal and our focus is to help children, no matter where they are located."

HELPING OTHERS

Two area agencies are giving community members the opportunity to play Santa this year, by giving to people of all ages.

Anyone interested in becoming a Home Instead Santa, benefitting seniors in need through the Be a Santa to a Senior program, can visit Home Instead Senior Care at 7716 Massachusetts Ave. in New Port Richey or call (727) 845-5819. Businesses are encouraged to contact Home Instead about adopting groups of seniors.

They also can visit Bealls Department Store, Radiology Associates, Regents Bank, Lane Glo Bowling, Fantastic Sam's and Fresh Market locations throughout the New Port Richey area (Radiology Associates also has a Bayonet Point location) to pick up the program's ornaments bearing the first names and gift needs of seniors from trees and wreaths erected at these locations.

Operation Unwrap a Smile, a Land O' Lakes-based philanthropic effort, seeks donations of everything from toiletries to toys for people in need. For information, call (813) 210-3838.

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