Monday, December 9, 2024
SPRINGTOWN — The Springtown Chamber of Commerce is bringing seniors some Christmas spirit this year with the annual “Senior Angel Project.”
This Santa-inspired project is something the chamber has been doing for 15 years, where citizens, businesses or anyone can adopt a senior who is in need of essentials like food, kitchen items and hygiene products.
Executive Director Terri Toone says the chamber just wants to ensure that the seniors of Springtown have a good Christmas morning.
“We just want to make sure our seniors are taken care of,” Toone said. “We want to ensure that everyone that applies does have a good Christmas and a merry Christmas and get what they need and just give them something to look forward to on Christmas morning.”
Applications may be submitted by seniors, or by anyone who knows of a senior who needs assistance during the holiday season. The application deadline is Nov. 14 but Toone says the chamber will accept submissions after the deadline to make sure no one is left behind.
Once an application is submitted, the chamber verifies the senior’s income, residency and what they need. Once that is complete, the senior's information will be placed on the Angel Tree in the Springtown Area Chamber of Commerce office and citizens can come by, pick them off the tree and provide the items for that senior. The project caters to seniors 65 and older that fall in the lower income bracket.
Toone is the one who calls the seniors and tells them they will be taken care of this holiday season.
“They sometimes, I just feel like they haven't talked to anyone since we made the phone call last year,” Toone said. “Some don't have any family. Some just want to talk to you about their pets, their medical appointment, you know, just to have that other person on the line. And I give them all the time they need. I don't rush them off the phone, if they want to chat to me about a grandbaby that was just born or just issues that they're having that I can just be able to listen.”
All personal information of seniors and the citizens who take care of them is kept confidential. The week before Christmas is typically when Toone and volunteers from the chamber put all the gifts together and deliver them.
Toone says about 40 seniors are signed up for the Angel Tree right now and the chamber would love to have more. Toone also said it's really the citizens of Springtown who step up and take on this initiative to help the seniors.
“I would say 90% of those people are just average citizens,” Toone said. “It brings tears in my eyes. We're such a loving community. And we just fall right in line when we're needed without the blink of an eye. And some people will come in and take two or three angels off the tree.”
For more information about the 2024 Senior Angel Project, go to the www.springtownchamber.org
