For some, immersing oneself in the holiday spirit involves volunteering time to be with elderly residents who might need a helpful hand to hold, and at least two San Luis Obispo County organizations are making that possible.
Senior Angels of the Central Coast, run by local resident Angelita Miranda, and Be a Santa to a Senior by Home Instead are looking for volunteers to help shine a festive light for the elderly who might feel lonely during the holiday season.
“The senior population are kind of hidden away, they don’t leave their homes, and they’ve worked their whole life, and it’s important to give back to them,” Miranda said. “What they have is what they have; they’re on a limited income, and they don’t qualify for a lot of the services because they have an income coming in, but that income isn’t enough to survive.”
Senior Angels of the Central Coast works to help struggling seniors within the community, and during the holiday season, the organization runs a senior wish program granting wishes to seniors who are in care centers, she said.
Miranda said that seniors fill out a card and provide information about themselves, such as their name, age, gender, and a short wish list of things they would like to receive. The senior living care homes they reside in then give those cards to Miranda, who in turn looks for volunteers to help sponsor the gifts.
“I have a sign-up online, and [community members] can actually go through seniors’ wish lists, pick ones they like, and drop the gift off at a facility,” she said. “At some facilities, they allow visitors, so then you can actually sit with and visit them while you give them your gift.”
Be a Santa to a Senior also provides gifts to the elderly by working with local businesses to set up trees with paper ornaments on them. Those ornaments contain gift ideas, such as hygiene essentials, which community members can shop for.
“We kind of come up with a list of things, and the [ornaments] ask for generic things such as shaving cream and razors. Just a lot of things that people want and things that keep you warm,” said Matt Galbraith with the San Luis Obispo Home Instead office.
Galbraith said after going shopping, community members can return to the business they picked the ornament from and give their gifts to staff to hold until Home Instead can pick them up.
For those who aren’t able to donate but still want to be involved, Galbraith said simply writing a nice note on a homemade card to a senior citizen can bring them happiness, or volunteering a few hours can help make a difference as well.
“We’re taking volunteers for our wrapping party, and it’s pretty fun stuff,” Daniel Robles of San Luis Obispo Home Instead said. “We basically empty everything into different categories like blankets and clothing and then we use the [ornaments] to give to seniors in need. So, that will take all the manpower, womanpower, and they/them power that we can get.”
Miranda echoed this, saying that just having people she can rely on to help set up, clean, deliver gifts, or just be around to show support is what makes all the difference.
“We’re having a holiday party this year for senior citizens, and I’ll need volunteers to help set up and take down [decorations] to make it special for seniors,” she said.
Galbraith said that if they receive more gifts than they can give this season, those items will still get donated throughout the year to elderly seniors in need.
“If we have gifts left over, we’re going to donate those [items] to People’s Self-Help [Housing] and Meals on Wheels,” he said.
Miranda added that Senior Angels decided that any extra donations will get provided to short-term care patients and others in need.
“This year, I’m going to do something a little different and donate some gifts to the homeless senior population,” she said. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2023.