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E-mail This StoryHELPING: These may be their only gifts of the season.
By Jim Kilpatrick, McKinney Courier-Gazette
With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays rapidly approaching the Collin County Committee on Aging is getting ready for their annual Harvest boxes, Secret Santa gifts and holiday stockings.
"We will be serving between 700 and 750 clients this holiday season," Marilyn Stidham, Executive Director of the CCCoA, said. "Many of our clients on the Meals on Wheels program live below the poverty line."
The volunteers that deliver the meals may be the only human contact the clients have during a typical day, Stidham said.
The program for the holidays began over 15 years ago, Marketing and Communication Manger Sherine George said.
The CCCoA is asking the community to participate in one or more of these programs when planning fall and winter service projects.
"The Harvest box is for Thanksgiving," George said. "The gifts our clients receive through our holiday programs are most often the only gifts they get at all."
Fall Harvest Boxes will be delivered in early November.
The boxes contain canned goods, shelf-stable microwavable meals, paper products and more.
"These boxes are extremely helpful to our home bound seniors who are unable to shop for themselves," Lara Kitchens, Volunteer Coordinator, said. "We gather the boxes in September and October and deliver them in early November."
Because of the number of boxes needed and the logistics for delivery Kitchens is requesting people that donate to contact her at (972) 562-6996 ext. 125. Donators also should contact Kitchens for a shopping list of items required to fill the Harvest Boxes.
The Secret Santa program is a "wish list" program for the Meals on Wheels clients.
"The seniors give us a wish list, and then people adopt a senior and fulfill their wish," Stidham said. "They might want a sweater, slippers or other small item."
There is a minimum of $25 in value requested and each gift should be wrapped and returned to the agency by Nov. 21.
Finally the holiday stockings sponsored by Volunteer McKinney Center, plans on hand making and decorating over 700 holiday stockings to be delivered to seniors early in December.
The stockings could be "the only holiday trimmings they have in their homes," a CCCoA press release said.
The Committee on Aging is a non-profit agency providing meals throughout Collin County to home bound and isolated seniors daily. Senior meal sponsorships are accepted for weekly meals at $27.50 for a senior's noon meal or $110 for one month.
Donations may be mailed to CCCoA at 600 N. Tennessee Street, McKinney, TX, 75069 or online at www.cccoaweb.org.
