Elves for Elderly start Christmas work
Elves for the Elderly volunteers cutting bibs for nursing home residents on Aug. 9 at St. Frederick Baptist Church were (back row, left) Rita Marquess, Cynthia Chisolm, Debbie Nelson, Bessie Jackson, (front, left) Tommie Ralls, and Karla Ralls. Staff photo by Suzanne Freeman
Santa’s elves were hard at work on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at St. Frederick Baptist Church in Marble Falls, cutting out patterns for bibs for nursing home residents. Fellow elves at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Kingsland will sew some of the over 60 bibs needed this year. Creative Hearts Ministry at First Baptist Church of Marble Falls will cut and sew another batch.
“We didn’t have enough last year,” said Bessie Jackson, founder of Elves for the Elderly in the Highland Lakes. Each holiday season, the nonprofit puts together more than 500 gift bags containing personal hygiene items, gloves, scarves, and blankets for nursing homes and other senior citizen organizations in Marble Falls, Burnet, Kingsland, Bertram, and Llano.
The bibs are cut from donated material, which was piled on tables in St. Frederick’s fellowship hall. At two tables, volunteers pinned patterns and cut out the pieces. Volunteer Karla Ralls of Marble Falls brought her 9-year-old grandson Tommie of Indiana to help. He not only cut patterns, he mixed and matched them to be pockets on the bibs.
“We love St. Fred’s, we love the mission, we love serving others,” Ralls said. “Ms. Bessie makes it joyful and gleeful every time.”
Also cutting away at colorfully patterned fabrics were Debbie Nelson, Cynthia Chisolm, and Rita Marquess, all of Marble Falls.
Jackson ironed sheets, which are a good fabric for bibs because of their endurance through many washes. She said the group is beginning its annual call for donations.
“We don’t need any more fabric; we’re almost done with this project,” she said. “We need any personal items people can donate. We need blankets, gloves, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, any kind of personal hygiene.”
Donations can be dropped off at St. Frederick Baptist Church, 301 Avenue N in Marble Falls. To volunteer, call Jackson at 830-385-2143.