The generosity shown in the Wiregrass Santa for Seniors campaign continues to bring blessings well beyond the Christmas season. Gifts and support came from all parts of our community. These included: the media, corporations and civic organizations that communicated the message of need; volunteers who manned the collection point and ensured the gifts were sorted to the appropriate senior; individuals and businesses that dropped off extremely generous monetary gifts; and the lady who simply asked that we pick up a pair of slippers from her home. These slippers were literally the only new thing she owned and she gave all she had.

Combining gifts from several hundred donors, 172 seniors had their most desperate needs met. In addition to warm slippers and house coats, they received dietary supplements, adult diapers and other hygiene items, insecticide treatments, fuel for home heating, critical home repairs, emergency response systems, walking canes and a wide variety of other basic needs.

These gifts had a profound impact on the seniors. Just one example is the elderly lady who responded to her gifts by saying that she felt that they were sent from God. Since then, she continues to cry often, thinking of the generosity and kindness of the individuals who thought of her. Another was the elderly gentleman who had nothing in his pantry and only six small sausages in his freezer. A gift card — one of many donated in the campaign — paid for groceries, and he did not have to go through the long Christmas weekend with literally nothing to eat. T

he gifts had an equally profound impact on the SARCOA client managers and other advocates at the senior centers in each of the counties throughout the Wiregrass. These advocates strive daily to assist their clients deal with a huge variety of issues, throughout the year. Your generosity continues to bring showers of blessings to everyone who has been touched.

Jim Hicks
Santa for Seniors volunteer
Dothan