Santa Claus is coming to town in St. George this holiday season, but not just for children.
The Christmas gift giving program called Santa for Seniors, was set up by Brantford native Lisa Shortt to help seniors who may feel isolated lonely get into the Christmas spirit.
“In my head I thought it was going to be a little project and it’s completely blowing up. The support of the community has been unreal,” says Shortt.
The program is collecting gift donations like slippers, scarves, picture books and diabetic treats that will be passed out to the elderly of Brant County and Brantford who have no family.
The idea began a few years ago when Shortt, a recreational therapist, was working at a long-term care facility. She often saw seniors struggling without any visitors to look forward to.
“There was one man specifically, he had aphasia so he was unable to speak and his wife had died and he had no children that we knew of. But no one ever came to see him.
“He just loved to have you sit there and hold his hand,” she says.
Now that Shortt is on maternity leave, she’s had time to organize the program and has been getting an overwhelming number of phone calls and emails from people wanting to help.
“I may be there some day and I would be really happy to see Lisa come in with a Christmas gift for me,” says volunteer Marg Verge.
The program shows the spirit of Santa is appreciated at any age.
“They shouldn’t be alone just because they have gotten a little bit older” says Shortt.
