Be a Santa to a Senior, Etobicoke 2016

Home Instead’s Annual Holiday Event Be a Santa to a Senior Has Begun!

Etobicoke: 11/22/2016 Christmas has come a bit early, here, in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area! The Home Instead offices in Mississauga, Etobicoke and Hamilton, are inviting and welcoming community members to play the role of Santa, in order to bring local seniors warmth and joy this holiday season.

If you’ve never heard of Be a Santa to a Senior (#BASTAS) before, boy, are you in for a treat! Each year, the program is made possible through the generous support of businesses, non-profit organizations, retailers, numerous volunteers and, of course, members of the community. Over the past 13 years there have been over 60,000 volunteers who have helped to wrap and distribute over 1,200,000 gifts for over 700,000 deserving seniors. Home Instead partners with community organizations to help identify seniors who might not otherwise receive gifts this holiday season; they may not have family, they may be isolated from their family and friends, or they may not have the financial means to support themselves.

The Home Instead Etobicoke office has partnered with the Etobicoke Support Service for Seniors (ESS), The Independent Living Community of the Tapestry at Village Gate West, and Shoppers Home Health Care at Six Points Plaza to help with gift collection and distribution. Their kick-off event was held on Tuesday, November 15th, at the Tapestry at Village Gate West.

In Mississauga, the local Home Instead has partnered with The Alzheimer’s Society of Peel, the Trillium Health Partners Foundation, the Mississauga’s Seniors Centre, and Keller Williams Realty Solutions, to help with gift collection and distribution. Their kick-off event was held at the Mississauga’s Senior Centre on Monday, November 14th.

Finally, in Hamilton has partnered with Ancaster Community Services, Catholic Family Services of Hamilton, and CF Lime Ridge Mall, to help with gift collection and distribution. Their kick-off event was held at CF Lime Ridge Mall on Tuesday, November 15th.

You must be wondering, “How does it work? How can I help out?”

Well, it’s quite simple actually. First, you must disguise yourself as Santa! In all three communities, we have put together beautiful trees (which we will list the locations of below) with very special paper ornaments attached to them. These ornaments feature the seniors’ first names as well as their desired gift.

Please choose an ornament, buy the requested gift and return it back to the tree with the ornament attached. We have also listed the “due dates” for each city below, please ensure you have your gift returned to the same tree you picked it up from. There’s no need to worry about wrapping – our little elves will be wrapping and delivering the gifts to local seniors, just in time for the holidays!

For more information, or to find trees outside of these three cities, please visit the program’s website at: www.beasantatoasenior.com.