For the 4th consecutive year, Meals on Wheels is teaming up with Home Instead Senior Care to deliver Christmas gifts to homebound seniors in Jefferson County through Be a Santa to a Senior. This program is extra special this year due to the increased isolation and loneliness the pandemic has brought.
Program coordinators with Home Instead adjusted their efforts to ensure the safety of donors, seniors, and volunteers. For the first time in the program’s 17-year history, Home Instead is teaming up with Amazon Business, to create a contactless gift-giving experience for volunteers and recipients. The new Amazon Business collaboration will provide the same holiday cheer to local seniors while also prioritizing the safety and wellness of all who are involved.
“The Be a Santa to a Senior program brings so much joy to seniors in our community,” said Dan Pahos, owner of the Birmingham Home Instead franchise. “We’ve all felt isolated at some point during the pandemic, but seniors are especially at risk of feeling isolated and a simple gift can show them that we are thinking of them. And that’s more important this year than ever.”
This year, 500 seniors in the Meals on Wheels program will receive gifts such as gloves, calendars, blankets, combs, puzzles, and bath towels. For many clients, this will be the only gift they receive this holiday season.
Meals on Wheels Director, Becky Wright, said, “The Meals on Wheels team looks forward to Santa to a Senior all year long. It’s one of our favorite partnerships, and we are very thankful for Home Instead.”
For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call 205-822-1915.
About Home Instead
Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, the Home Instead® franchise network provides personalized care, support and education to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Today, the network is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide more than 80 million hours of care annually throughout the United States, Canada and 13 other countries. Local Home Instead offices employ approximately 90,000 CAREGiversSM worldwide who provide basic support services that enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. Home Instead franchise owners partner with clients and their family members to help meet varied individual needs. Services span the care continuum – from providing personal care to specialized Alzheimer’s care and hospice support. Also available are family caregiver education and support resources. Visit HomeInstead.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Meals on Wheels
United Way’s Meals on Wheels program serves 1100 meals a day to seniors and disabled individuals throughout Jefferson County. There are roughly 130,000 residents who struggle with hunger in this one county alone. Our Meals on Wheels program delivers the support that helps seniors remain independent and have the ability to live in their own homes. Since the pandemic, Meals on Wheels has shifted their program to deliver frozen meals once a week to clients to reduce contact. For more information visit www.mowjeffco.org.