Be a Santa to a local Senior this Holiday

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — From now until the first week of December, you can become ‘Santa’ to a local senior citizen who might not otherwise get a gift this Christmas.

The holiday season is a time to give back, and Home Instead Senior Care is doing just that with the ‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ program.

“We adopt seniors from various organizations, and we provide presents to them right before Christmas. And a lot of times it’s the only present they get,” said DeeDee Northcutt, Marketing Manager with Home Instead Senior Care. 

Local organizations partnering with Home Instead include Senior Resources, Project Hope, AHEPA-1 and AHEPA-2 Apartments and Compassionate Care Hospice.

Senior’s Christmas wishes are on paper ornament tags and distributed among four different trees in three different locations. The trees are at Pink Sorbet on Devine, Chick-Fil-A on Bush River Road, and Belk at the Village at Sandhill.

All you have to do is go to a tree, get a tag, purchase what’s listed, and return the gifts to the store with the tag. Volunteers will wrap the presents for you.

“Sometimes it might be something as a Belk card, or a Walgreens card. But a lot of times it can be just the essentials of canned food, socks, lotion; you know things that they actually need,” said Northcutt.

“It’s a blessing,” said Marie Gibson, who’s previously received a gift from the program. “It means that I can be helped. Otherwise, I have to use my small income that I have to take care of myself.”

This year, 300 seniors in Richland and Lexington Counties need Santas.

“A lot of times seniors are forgotten around Christmas, so I think the community goes all hands on deck. I mean some of them go extravagant, we have some that want to pick up two or three different seniors,” said Northcutt.

“It means that I can be helped. Otherwise, I have to use my small income that I have to take care of myself,” said Gibson.

A small act of kindness by a community member can make all the difference in the life of a senior citizen.

“Keeps the child in ya, you know. All of us have some kid in us. And it’s not everyday that you actually get a gift, but when you do get the gift you know that someone loves you. You know that someone out there cares about you. So it makes a difference,” said Catherine Jackson, who’s also received a gift through the program.

If you become Santa, you can put a smile on someone’s face this holiday season.

“Feels good. All smiles,” said Gibson.

‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ trees can be found at the following locations:

• Belk – Village at Sandhill (tree in the women’s and men’s departments) – 670 Promenade Pl
• Chick Fil-A – 229 Bush River Road
• Pink Sorbet – 2726 Devine St.