Be a Santa to a Senior Program Celebrates 20 Years of Brightening Holidays for Older Adults

This year, Home Instead® celebrates 20 years of bringing joy to Central Tennessee with Be a Santa to a Senior, a gift-giving program for older adults who may be overlooked, isolated or alone during the holiday season. Since the program’s nationwide inception in 2003, Be a Santa to a Senior has engaged more than 65,000 volunteers, provided more than 2.2 million gifts, and shared the holiday spirit with about 800,000 older adults.

“The holidays can be hard for many older adults, especially those who may not have a companion to share them with and it’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact that Be a Santa to a Senior has had over the past 20 years,” said Jessie Schewe, owner of the Home Instead office serving Coffee, Franklin, Bedford, Lincoln, Moore and Rutherford counties. “Gifts aside, the true value is the connection Be a Santa to a Senior makes between the community and our older neighbors.”

Program coordinators hope to collect gifts for 150 local older adults this year.

To participate, shoppers can look for Be a Santa to a Senior trees or displays at locations around the area. Ornaments featuring the name and desired gift of an older adult will be on display, and shoppers can buy the requested gift and return it unwrapped to the location with the ornament attached. Ornaments are available now and gifts should be returned by December 15. The gifts will be delivered to local older adults in time for the holidays.

Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations:

• Home Instead office, 603 NW Atlantic St., Tullahoma, TN 37388
• Mills Family Pharmacy, 2994 S Church St., Murfreesboro, TN 37127
• Smart Bank, 1400 N Jackson St., Tullahoma, TN 37388

Be a Santa to a Senior brings together the entire community, with support from local businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, volunteers, and countless other community members. The Home Instead office in Tullahoma has partnered with SmartBank, Life Care Center, and Autumn Manor in Tullahoma and Mills Family Pharmacy, Meals on Wheels, and Care and Viviant Healthcare of Murfreesboro to assist with gift collection and distribution.

For more information visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com.

To learn more about helping older adults in central Tennessee visit imreadytocare.com.