GORHAM, Maine — With December in full-swing, a group of volunteers in Cumberland County is on a mission to make sure elderly Mainers can have a happy holiday season and know they're not alone.
The Be a Santa to a Senior program has been happening at Home Instead in Gorham for 11 years. Home Instead works with 22 local groups in Cumberland County, like nursing homes, low-income housing units, and food pantries, to find out what older people (typically 65 years and older) would like for Christmas. That "wish-list" is made public, and community members volunteer to buy the gifts.
Kathy Damon, home care consultant at Home Instead, said the initiative is about a lot more than presents under a tree.
"What we’re trying to do is make sure [Maine seniors] know they’re not forgotten, that there is some kind of joy out there, that there is somebody who cares enough to go out and buy a gift for them," Damon said.
Damon said this year, they'll be delivering about 740 gifts to older Mainers in Cumberland County. She said items people typically ask for include warm clothing, blankets, puzzles, holiday treats, and readers.
To get these presents ready to be delivered, between 20 and 30 volunteers are working all week to wrap the gifts. Damon said some of them are caregivers at Home Instead and some are community members who wanted to help out.
Gail Strattard of North Yarmouth is a volunteer who also works at Home Instead. She said she has been volunteering for the Be a Santa to a Senior program for a few years and loves doing so.
"To see that sparkle in an older person’s eyes when they get these things and they start opening them up is just a treat," Strattard said.
Damon said this year, Home Instead created a GoFundMe page. Money donated there will help Home Instead buy any gifts that people may have forgotten to get.
Damon said anyone who would like to buy a gift personally for a senior this year could call on Friday, Dec. 9. She said at that point, she'll know what items they're missing, and volunteers go buy them quickly over the weekend before deliveries next week. That number is 207-839-0441. Just ask for Kathy.