By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Residents of Brentwood Assisted Living are lending a wrapping hand.
On Wednesday, a few special individuals wrapped over 100 gifts for area seniors in need. It's all thanks the Be a Santa to a Senior program, which was organized by Home Instead Senior Care out of South Bend, Ind.
Home Instead, together with Martin's Super Markets, teamed up in a joint effort to bring happiness to seniors this Christmas.
"Residents from other area nursing homes – Silverbrook, Four Flags, Riveridge and West Woods – had a chance to place gift requests and the two (Home Instead and Martin's) made it possible for these seniors to have gifts this year," Jill VanDewalle Hoffman, Community Relations Director at Brentwood, said.
But with so many gifts comes wrapping, wrapping and more wrapping. Marian Moyser, Mary Alkire, Jean Hansel, Dot Barton and Virginia Working helped solve that problem
"They have been very busy wrapping these gifts and are doing a wonderful job. I wouldn't mind having a few of them at my house to wrap my gifts," VanDewalle Hoffman joked. "This wrapping party is a way for us to step in and help. You can look at it as seniors helping seniors," VanDewalle Hoffman said.
Some gifts included kitchen towels, pedicure kits, sewing kits, mittens, Suduko books, crossword puzzles, magazines and other products that will be sure to keep those on the receiving end busy.
"This is our second year wrapping gifts for this and we hope to continue it in the future," VanDewalle Hoffman added.
VanDewalle Hoffman, along with Activities Director Dusty Snow, is hoping to get all of the gifts wrapped and have them delivered today.
"Be a Santa to a Senior is more than just a gift-giving project. The program is designed to help stimulate human contact and social interaction for seniors who are unlikely to have guests during the holidays," Jeff Stuber, owner of Home Instead Senior Care said.
Home Instead serves St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall Counties in Indiana and Berrien and Cass Counties in Michigan.