Christmas ‘Elves’ hoping to help elderly
Elves for the Elderly, created years ago by Jeanene Olsen of Older Adults Rural Services, is gearing up this Christmas to aid seniors who live alone or need assistance. OARS partners with other local programs such as Meals on Wheels to identify seniors requiring a little holiday cheer.
“For a lot of our clients at Meals on Wheels, they don’t have family nearby or they’re alone so they probably wouldn’t get a gift,” said Sarah Reily, Burnet County Meals on Wheels coordinator.
Meals on Wheels is a program sponsored through Williamson-Burnet Counties Opportunities that provides meals for homebound residents, many of whom are older adults.
“We always seem to forget about the elderly during this time of the year,” Olsen said. “But we owe them so much. Just because they’re aren’t young doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy Christmas. But so often there’s a lot of older residents who don’t get anything for Christmas.”
Olsen spearheaded “Elves for the Elderly” to get gifts delivered to homebound elderly — or even those just spending Christmas alone.
Reily said she has 160 clients through Meals on Wheels who need presents this year.
“For a lot of people, it’s the only gift they’ll get this year,” she said. “But they love it. We get letters from quite a few of the people who receive gifts telling us how much they appreciated them.”
Olsen said a simple gift can really make a big difference in a person’s life.
“I sometimes think these are people we tend to forget or at least we don’t want to know are there,” Olsen said. “But what do you think it says about us if we’re not willing to take care of our elderly? They’ve been there for us; we need to be there for them.”
Olsen said many of the Elves for Elderly recipients need items that make them comfortable in the colder weather. But, she added, they also need things that are fun and bring a smile to their faces for when the Texas winter turns to spring and then summer.
“These are people who love to laugh and have a good time,” she said. “We need to remember that they’re people just like us, but just older. We’re all going to get older too. How do you want to be treated when you’re not as youthful as you once were?”
Reily said some of the things OARS and Meals on Wheels are looking for include slippers, socks, blankets, lotions, gloves, toiletries, hats and umbrellas.
“Also a couple of things we’re looking for this year are heating pads and can openers,” she said. “In the past, we’ve also run low on things for men.”
Reily has already placed collection boxes across the Highland Lakes where people can drop off items. They include:
n First United Methodist Church of Marble Falls, 1101 Bluebonnet Drive
n St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Marble Falls, 1803 RR 1431
n First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, 501 Twelfth St.
n Burnet Presbyterian Church, 101 S. Pierce St.
n Craig’s Party Animals in Burnet, 902 S. U.S. 281
n Church of Christ in Burnet, 102 S. Vanderveer
The program will take donations until Dec. 15, then Reily will collect them and take them to the First United Methodist Church of Marble Falls for a 6 p.m. wrapping party.
“The wrapping party is a lot of fun,” she said. “This year we’re having it at the First Methodist Church in Marble Falls because we’ve outgrown the (Burnet) Community Center. And they’ll be serving a chili dinner.”
Reily said donations of wrapping paper and tape are welcome.
Along with the “Elves for Elderly,” Olsen also created “Gifts from Zoe,” named after a pet. This program is for people who want to donate pet items for the elderly. Olsen said often the only companion an elderly person has is a pet.
“Gifts from Zoe” collects pet food and pet items to give to the elderly who need something for their dog, cat or bird.
“For some of the elderly, their pet is their world because they don’t have anybody else,” Olsen said. “So this is a way to help them take care of their pets.”
Those donations can be dropped off in the Elves boxes or at Craig’s Party Animals.
“We’re really excited about ‘Elves for the Elderly,’” Reily said. “It’s growing every year. And it makes such a difference, even if it’s just for one day, in a person’s life. And you should see these people’s faces when we take them a gift — especially if it’s a child who delivers it.”
For more information on Elves for the Elderly, call (512) 756-4334.
daniel@thepicayune.com