VISTA — The holiday season is also the season of giving and a time to share smiles with those around you.
Home Instead Senior Care is once again offering the Vista community a chance to spread joy to local seniors. Through the Be a Santa to a Senior program, community members can give a senior a special holiday gift.
Be a Santa to a Senior is a true community program, with support from Vista businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, numerous volunteers and members of the community. The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Vista and surrounding areas has also partnered with Walmart to help with gift collection and distribution.
It’s easy to take part. Visit a Walmart at 1800 University Drive, Vista; 3405 Marron Road, Oceanside or 732 Center Drive, San Marcos. At each location there is a Be a Santa to a Senior tree display from Nov. 29 to Dec. 15. Each tree will be decorated with ornaments featuring seniors’ first names and gift suggestions. Holiday shoppers can choose an ornament, buy the requested gift and return it to the store with the ornament attached. There’s no need to worry about wrapping — community volunteers and program partners will wrap and deliver the gifts to local seniors in time for the holidays.
“While it may seem like a small act of kindness, it can really make a difference for someone this holiday season,” said Dziuban. “Watching seniors open the gifts they received through Be a Santa to a Senior and seeing the smiles and appreciation on their faces is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.”
For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call (760) 639-6472. Since the program’s inception in 2003, the Be a Santa to a Senior program has mobilized more than 60,000 volunteers, provided approximately 1.2 million gifts and brightened the season for more than 700,000 deserving seniors nationwide. Last year, more than 600 seniors received gifts that where distributed among the local community.
