County asked to help seniors find Santa

PRINCETON — With Christmas just seven weeks away, children aren’t the only ones looking for the arrival of Santa.

The area Home Instead Senior Care organization is teaming up with area non-profit agencies and retailers to sponsor Be a Santa to a Senior program for needy seniors in Bureau, Putnam, LaSalle and Grundy counties. Locally, the Bureau County Housing Authority, Bureau County Senior Center and Sullivan’s Foods are partnering with the Home Instead Senior Care.

Peggy Dineen, spokesperson for Home Instead Senior Care, said Christmas trees were placed last week at area stores and businesses to collect gifts for seniors. In Princeton, the collection site is Sullivan’s Foods store on North Main Street. More than 300 gifts were given last year to needy senior citizens, Dineen said.

“The need is especially great this year, so I hope people will become involved and make a difference in the life of a local senior,” Dineen said.

The Be A Santa to a Senior program runs through Dec. 8, with community gift-wrapping parties held on Dec. 3 throughout the four-county area. The gifts will be delivered on Dec. 8 to the selected seniors.

On Monday, Denise Ihrig, director of the Bureau County Senior Citizens Association, said this is the first year for her agency to join the Be A Santa to a Senior program. It’s a good and important outreach, she said.

“We work very closely with seniors around the county, and we know that, with this economy, some of our seniors struggle financially,” Ihrig said. “We also know the Christmas season can be a very lonely time for some of our seniors. We at the center may be the only family for some of our seniors. Through this program, we are trying to pitch in and help make the Christmas holidays a little bit better for them.”

Ihrig said she is available at the senior center to answer questions about the program and to give ideas on Christmas gifts and other help for area seniors.

Christine Schouten, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care, said most people aren’t aware there are hundreds, if not thousands, of seniors in every community who have no family and are alone.