For roughly a decade, employees of Ag South in Statesboro have been quietly meeting the needs of senior citizens in the community every December as part of their Santa for a Senior tradition.
Shanna Smith, who organizes the project each year, says Santa for a Senior is something she and the other employees of Ag South love doing.
“Our employees really get into giving above and beyond what’s requested on the tags," she said. "They’ll add homemade cookies and little gifts to go with what the senior asked for. They really want it to be something special for their seniors.”
Ag South has 68 employees, and Smith says that everyone plays a role, whether giving gifts, making a financial contribution, distributing gifts, or helping in other ways.
“We chose to focus on senior citizens because they can be overlooked,” Smith says. The Ag South team also makes sure homebound seniors are always on their giving list, and they alternate other area nursing homes and senior care organizations each year.
The seniors' gift wishes are usually for basic necessities, “Things we often take for granted,” Smith shares. The Ag South organizers take the list of items requested and create ornaments to hang on the tree for employees and community members to choose from each year.
The gift requests Smith saw most often this December were for everyday needs -
- Space heaters
- Pajamas
- New bed sheets
- Blankets
- Socks
Andrea Whitfield, an employee and devoted participant of the program says, “It always puts things into perspective when someone only asks for a warm blanket. Often times we are told that our ‘Santa for a Senior’ gift will be the only gift some seniors receive. We hope we can continue to our ‘Santa for a Senior’ for many years to come. We encourage the community to help us each year!”
This year, the program’s participants have been able to meet every need on the tree: they’ve collected 70 gifts, 30 additional blankets, and additional funds for one of Statesboro’s senior centers, but it’s not too late to help!
One of the organizations Ag South supported this year, Action Pact, has experienced an enormous increase in the number of seniors they serve, and they welcome the support of community members. You can contact Alicia Dickerson, Action Pact's outreach coordinator, at 912-489-1604 or adickerson@myactionpact.org for information about how to help.
If you want to make a difference for seniors in the community this holiday season, contacting nursing homes to ask what their residents could use or reaching out to senior centers are both great avenues to support those who may be left out during holiday festivities.