GORHAM, Maine — People in Maine have a way of making everyone feel loved and remembered during the holiday season, especially Home Instead.
Home Instead, along with the Gorham Police Department, is spreading holiday cheer by going door-to-door and delivering gifts to 740 seniors this year throughout Cumberland County.
Gorham Police Chief Samborn said, "Many of them live alone and have limited family members if any family members that are available to them. And it's delightful to see their faces light up when we come to deliver those gifts for them."
Kathy Damon, the home care consultant from Home Instead, said her company works with 20 nonprofit agencies to gather names and gift requests of older adults.
Many elderly people were touched by their hand-delivered presents on Wednesday.
"You don't forget about us. What I like is you actually call us up and make it personal because you have a wish list for us. And we can pick out the items we really need," Maxine, one of the gift recipients from Wednesday's delivery, said.
Their names and gift requests are hung on trees in the community. Among the most popular gift requests are clothing, blankets, and toiletries. Those who fill those wishes are asked to get at least three items.
"What we find is they don't just buy the three items requested. But they throw in a lot of other fun things. We ask them to deliver the gifts unwrapped and then to pull everything out of the bags. And to see the generosity of the community, it's overwhelming it really is," Damon said.
Home Instead has been warming elderly Mainer's hearts at Christmas for over a decade now.
Today is the first day of a week's worth of delivering gifts to seniors in the community.