Printer Friendly Version - Be a Santa to a Senior

At North Branford’s Stanley T. Williams Community Center, Home Instead’s Rick Cortellessa and North Branford Seniors Program Supervisor Judy Barron stand beside a “Be a Santa to a Senior” Christmas tree, filled with holiday gift requests for shut-in local seniors.Pam Johnson/The Sound

The paper ornaments have been hung with care; and hundreds of lonely senior citizens are hoping someone will share. It’s crunch time for “Be a Santa to a Senior” in North Branford and Branford.

Now in its tenth year, the program was founded and organized by Home Instead of Guilford, a non-medical companion and homemaker agency. Each year, Home Instead partners with shoreline senior centers and social services groups to identify gift recipients and help set up Christmas trees at merchant and organization sites. The trees arrive covered with local senior gift wishes, written on paper ornaments.

In this area, simple present requests — from grocery store gift certificates to a few lucky Lottery tickets — fill paper ornaments currently decorating trees at the North Branford Senior Center (in the Stanley T. Williams Community Center, Northford), Atwater Memorial Library (North Branford) and Branford Stop & Shop.

Any member of the public can take an ornament from a tree, buy the requested gift and return it, using the instructions on the ornament. All contributions received by Dec. 24 will be gift wrapped and distributed to shut-in seniors. The Home Instead team, including franchise owner David DeLancy, community service coordinator Rick Cortellessa, office manager Karen Goclowski and staff caregivers, will gift wrap and re-distribute all gifts to local agencies. Then, local volunteers will deliver to seniors in their towns. In fact, it might be the only present some seniors will get this Christmas, said North Branford Senior Center Program Supervisor Judy Barron.

“They might not be able to go out into the community, but they’re still a part of the community, and we’re going to go out and give them a little visit – which I think is their favorite part,” said Barron. “Getting a gift is great; but I think they also really look forward to having that visit.”

North Branford signed on with Home Instead seven years ago. Barron said 50 seniors were gift recipients back then, and the North Branford program grew to peak at 170 requests about two years ago. Only 130 seniors are on this year’s list, but Barron is certain there are more elderly community members who could benefit from a gift, and she’s asking for help from the public.

“We just haven’t replenished the names yet, that’s why it’s important in our community for people to give us those names,” said Barron. “Anyone who knows of a senior who might be homebound because their circumstances have changed or due to other transitions in life, let us know so we can add them to the list.”

Anyone with a North Branford/Northford senior in mind can give Barron’s office a call through Dec. 18 and that person will be included in this year’s gift-giving.

In addition to assisting North Branford seniors, Home Instead also partners with two Branford organizations, Orchard House Adult Day Care and Branford Hills Health Center, to bring gifts to elderly assisted through those groups. Other groups in the program include those in East Haven, Guilford and Madison.

Cortellessa said 11 Christmas trees brimming with senior gift request ornaments are set up in locations in all five towns this year. With the help of generous residents and organizations who make it their mission to assist by buying a batch of gifts (such as North Branford Public Works), hundreds of local senior citizens will get a gift this year.

“We started ten years ago with 40 gifts,” said Cortellessa. “Last year, we delivered 900. This year, we think it’s going to be close to a thousand.”

But those gifts won’t arrive without the public’s help; so visit a tree, pick a paper ornament and hurry back with the new, unwrapped gift to be wrapped up and delivered during the holiday season.

Be a Santa to a Senior trees are set up at shoreline locations through Dec. 24. For more information, call Home Instead at (203) 458-2992. If you know a North Branford/Northford senior who needs a gift this holiday season or if you would like to help, call North Branford Senior Citizens by Dec. 18 at (203) 315-6017.