Senior gift requests expected to rise

Be a Santa to a Senior, a campaign that has delivered 1.2 million gifts to needy seniors throughout North America in the past six years, is gearing up again this holiday season during a time when seniors may need more of the bare necessities to survive.

 

The Home Instead Senior Care office serving San Bernardino County, including the cities of Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills, Chino, Ontario, Montclair, Upland, Bloomington, Fontana, Victorville, Alta Loma and Rialto has joined Briarwood Manor of Montclair, Chino Senior Center, Citrus Villa Retirement Center, Department of Aging and Adult Services, Generations Healthcare, Hope Through Housing, Meals on Wheels of Ontario, Old Timers Foundation for the cities of Chino, Fontana and Rialto, JC Penney Stores  and Walgreens along with Aria Del Rey, Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles-Chino, Mercury Insurance Co., and PODS Corporation to provide presents to seniors who otherwise might not receive a gift this holiday season.

 

Program sponsors expect gift requests to be up this year as the economic downturn continues and Social Security benefits fail to keep pace with daily living expenses.

 

Prior to the holiday season, the participating local non-profit organizations will identify needy and isolated seniors in the community and provide those names to Home Instead Senior Care. Christmas trees, which will go up in JC Penney's, Montclair Plaza, 5100 Montclair Plaza Lane, Montclair, JC Penney's Rancho Del Shopping Center, 14659 Ramona Ave., Chino, JC Penney's at Victoria Gardens, 12399 South Mainstreet, Rancho Cucamonga, JC Penney's at the Ontario Mills, 4410 Mills Circle, Ontario and Walgreens at 12490 Central Ave., Chino on Nov. 3, feature ornaments with the first names only of the seniors and their respective gift requests. 

Holiday shoppers can pick up an ornament, buy items on the list and return them unwrapped to the store, along with the ornament attached. Volunteers will then collect wrap and deliver the gifts to area seniors.

 

For more information about the program, call Leticia Vazquez at 909-476-9030 or log on to www.beasantatoasenior.com.