Generous Minneapolis volunteers went “over the river and through the woods” to provide gifts and companionship to seniors who otherwise might not receive either this holiday season.

Together with our partners and donors, Home Instead Senior Care Minneapolis exceeded last year’s number by delivering over 3,000 gifts to Minneapolis seniors! We’d like to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to everyone who put up trees, selected tags from our partner locations, purchased gifts and delivered them to thankful seniors. We know that this is a busy time of year and we hope that seeing the smiling faces on the seniors in this post makes it all worth it. And, motivates you to help us again next year! To stay in touch and make sure that you’re informed about our Be a Santa program next year, Like us on Facebook and you’ll see our timely updates!

The official kick-off to the Be a Santa to a Senior program is the installation of trees at the following locations. Thank you partners!

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  Lund’s or Byerly’s stores with pharmacies in Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, Plymouth or downtown Minneapolis, MN

• Starbucks 2661 Campus Drive, Plymouth, MN
• Starbucks 16725 C.R. 24, Plymouth, MN
• Starbucks 4175 Vinewood Lane North, Plymouth, MN
• Starbucks 7802 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN

From there, generous donors select a tag from the trees with the name of a senior and what they’d like.

They delivered the item(s) back to the location in a gift bag and Home Instead Minneapolis “elves” pick up the gifts and deliver them to to seniors in nursing homes, low income senior housing, adult day centers and personally nominated individuals. Just a few of the senior residences include Augustana, Golden Living Center of Hopkins and Texas Terrace.

This huge success would not have been possible without our partners which include Byerly’s & Lund’s Pharmacy locations, Starbucks and Minneapolis Woman’s Club.

Here’s how the program works. The Home Instead Senior Care network partners with local non-profit and community organizations. Together they identify seniors who perhaps live alone, do not have family members nearby, or are experiencing financial difficulties.

The program targets many seniors who otherwise might not receive gifts or visits from family during the holidays.

Home Instead Minneapolis then works with local businesses and retail stores that are willing to help by placing trees and ornaments within their various locations.

The involvement from busy stores gives the program visibility and provides a convenient way for shoppers to volunteer their assistance during the busy holiday season.

Since its inception, the Be a Santa to a Senior has attracted nearly 60,000 volunteers throughout North America, and has provided 1.2 million gifts to over 700,000 seniors who are in need of assistance or companionship. Now you can join the movement and help a senior in your Minnesota community.

Go to the Be a Santa to a Senior website, for more information.