For the last few years our club has “adopted” local seniors at Christmas and purchased gifts for those who otherwise would not receive one. We have gotten requests for things as small as jelly beans. That was a heartbreaker! Oh, also a bottle of bourbon (we decided against fulfilling that fond wish.) And over the years we have provided many coats, books, candy and craft items etc to these folks. It is a very rewarding venture.
This year we made the decision to provide gifts for residents of our local Life Care Center. At the suggestion of the activities director we focused on the general wants and needs of the 53 residents.
A COVID outbreak before Thanksgiving made that holiday a sad one, and the staff was committed to having an especially festive Christmas. Upon hearing about that our club was especially generous with their selections, and their money this season.
I delivered 56 word search & crossword books, 22 hats, 17 scarves, 54 pairs of slipper socks, 9 boxes of cookies, 10 boxes of candy, 8 blankets/throws, several plants and 10 stuffed animals!! We provided gift bags, ribbons and tags and left it up to the staff to distribute.
An upside to COVID – this a much simpler way of doing things.
We received a lovely thank you card expressing the residents’ appreciation and expressing how we made their season bright.
With a really small amount of effort we can make this happen every year.
I am really proud of the Port Townsend Noon Rotary Club for their participation in this annual gift giving.