Be a Santa to a senior: Thunder Bay's St. Joseph's Foundation brings gifts to elderly

A group of volunteers in Thunder Bay want to make sure seniors in the city have a gift to unwrap on Christmas morning,thanks toits new 'Be a Santa to a Senior' program.

The grouphas set a fundraising goal ofup to $10,000 to purchase presents for 130 clients, says Katrina O'Neill,executive director of St. Joseph's Foundation, in Thunder Bay.

These include seniors at various sitesof St. Joseph's Care Groupincluding in apartments, long-term care facilities and hospital.

O'Neill saidmany of the seniors will be alone on Dec.25, and this is a way of showing them somebody cares.

"Having a present that they can open, that they didn't expect, they didn't know was coming, just makes that day a little brighter for them, and it gives themsomethingto look forward to," she said. "So this is about truly loving, and giving to somebody else."

People can make a cash donation to St. Joseph's Foundationor drop off a new,unwrapped gift by Dec.18.

Gifts suggested by the foundation include word search and puzzle books, jigsaw puzzles, slippers, socks, sweaters, lap blankets and picture calendars.

The foundation will do its own shopping on Dec. 21, wrapping on Dec. 22 and dropping off of presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This is the first year of the program, which was organized by volunteerKarinSitko. O'Neillsaid next yearthe foundation hopes to expand the program to any elderly person, in Thunder Bay,who might benefit.