Gifts for Seniors in the Press

Program aims to help lonely seniors during the holidays
by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio

December 14, 2005

The holidays are a time when thoughts turn to children and families -- memories of children opening presents in a flurry; memories of Christmas dinners with several generations gathered around big tables. But for some of the elderly who live alone, these memories are bittersweet because they evoke thoughts of family members long gone. One volunteer group is trying to alleviate some of that loneliness through a program called "Gifts for Seniors."

Minneapolis, Minn. — Mildred, who's 89, isn't feeling so well today. She thinks she might have the flu so she's been spending a lot of time in bed. Her hair, streaked with strands of gray and white, has gone awry. She wears a flannel housecoat with a crocheted collar.

During this holiday season, Mildred thinks of her late husband and likes to tell this story.

"When my husband was living we'd have cocktail hour now and then, and then he would get in the kitchen and cook. I was lucky because we were married -- I don't know how long -- and I told him I couldn't cook," Mildred says.

For years, her husband did all the cooking. Her secret got out, Mildred says, when her husband became ill with pneumonia.

"He was in bed and he said, 'Boy, I'd like some scrambled eggs.' So I went out in the kitchen and fixed them. And I brought him a tray and he said, 'You so and so; you could cook all this time!'" she laughs.

Mildred's husband died several years ago. They had no children. Her two sisters are dead. So she lives alone in a Minneapolis apartment with her cat, Gracie.

The Gifts for Seniors program gave Mildred a $20 gift certificate towards her groceries. It, and a gift from the Osteoporosis Foundation where she once volunteered, were the only presents she got last year.

There are a lot of senior citizens out there who had no one, no family, no friends, little or no contact with people. And during the winter it tends to be more isolating.

The Gifts for Seniors program began in the Twin Cities in 1994. It grew out of a conversation between Kristine Poelzer and a friend who worked at KLBB radio. Poelzer worked for Hennepin County, coordinating volunteers to help the elderly.

At the time, KLBB played music from the 1940s and '50s, and was aimed at an older audience. Poelzer says the two were talking about how KLBB employees could help during the holidays.

"So I said, 'What do you do?' And she said, 'They do things for children.' And I said, 'That's great, but how about for your listening audience, those people who have no one and could use a day-brightener of sorts?' And she said, 'That sounds like a good idea. What do you have in mind?' And I said, 'I don't know, how about gifts for seniors?'" Poelzer recalls.

The two friends created the program and began asking for donations. Six weeks later, they began handing out gifts.

"It became very clear that there were a lot of senior citizens out there who had no one, no family, no friends, little or no contact with people. And during the winter it tends to be more isolating," Poelzer says.

Poelzer says they use other agencies that work with seniors to identify the elderly who might need gifts. In Mildred's case, that was Store-To-Door, a volunteer group that delivers groceries to seniors who can't make it to the store themselves.

Poelzer's group works with many organizations as a conduit to not only locate lonely seniors, but also to hand out the gifts.

The group gives out more than gift certificates. The donations range from new cardigan sweaters to blankets to books of stamps -- whatever a senior seems to need most.

Mary Rodeski stands by a bag filled with several gifts, including a bright green afghan and a crock pot. Rodeski is director of adult day care centers in Annandale and Buffalo. She knows specific people who will enjoy the donations. The afghan, she says, is perfect for Lu, whom she calls a wonderful lady.

"Then I have a lady that lives on her own, who is about 85 and loves to cook yet. So this way, with that crock pot she can come to the center and have her dinner ready when she gets home," says Rodeski.

Back at Mildred's apartment, Store-To-Door has just delivered her groceries. Mildred uses her $20 gift certificate towards her grocery order. As a result, she bought cat food for Gracie and other groceries for just 26 cents.

Mildred says knowing that someone cared enough to give her a gift is more important than the gift itself.

The Gifts for Seniors program serves the 10-county metro area. The group will accept donations until the end of the year. Poelzer says the program delivers some gifts to seniors who tend to get more depressed right after the holidays.

Lonely seniors brought gifts, companionship through holiday programs
By BMTN Staff

March 8th, 2018

The holiday season is nearly upon us, but for some it can be a lonely time of year.

That’s why programs throughout Minnesota are working to make sure seniors feel remembered during the holidays by giving them a gift – many times it will be the only gift they receive that year.

“[Seniors] sometimes get forgotten,” Arlette Preston, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Fargo, told InForum. “Most people probably think there’s family involved, but there’s a lot of them that don’t have families.”

Home Instead Senior Care’s Be a Santa to a Senior (which is a national effort) and the nonprofit Gifts for Seniors in the Twin Cities are among the programs that try to spread holiday cheer for lonely or financially challenged seniors who may not otherwise receive gifts during the holidays.

Preston told InForum that many of the gifts are small items, like socks, slippers, shampoo or gift cards.

Mildred, an 89-year-old widow who never had children and lived alone, was profiled in a piece about Gifts for Seniors by MPR News in 2005. She told MPR that knowing someone cared enough to give her a gift was more important than the gift itself.

The two programs are similar; people who want to participate can purchase a gift that will be donated to a senior in need. Gifts for Seniors has wish lists online here, while Be a Santa to a Senior has participating stores with gift lists – find locations here.

After receiving the donated gifts, the organizations surprise the seniors with the gifts in mid-December. Not only do the volunteers deliver the present, but they sit down and spend quality time with the senior – providing a social connection most have been needing.

Loneliness can affect health

Studies have shown that seniors who are socially isolated or lonely may be at greater risk of early death, U.S. News reports. Loneliness is associated with depression, poor health, decreased mobility and cognitive decline, but an Old Age and Loneliness report says health can improve if a person has companionship, satisfying family relations and activities with a sense of purpose.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Bernie Johnson, who is participating in the Be a Santa for a Senior program, told InForum. “Most of the clients we have for the program are very low income; they don’t have a lot. A lot of them don’t have family here.”

Since the Be a Santa to a Senior program began in 2006, it has provided 1.2 million gifts to more than 700,000 seniors nationwide, according to its website. Gifts for Seniors began in Hennepin County in 1994 and has since donated gifts to 30,000 seniors, including to 2,938 seniors the Twin Cities last year.

Gifts for Seniors Twin Cities works to make aging adults feel loved

By Beret Leone

February 19, 2024

EDINA, Minn. — We're in the season of love. But for older adults in our community, it's easy to feel isolated this time of year.

There's a local nonprofit working to make seniors feel loved year-round.

At Heritage of Edina, love is in the air.

"Our mission is about alleviating social isolation for older adults in the community," Gifts for Seniors Twin Cities Executive Director Carolyn Deters said. "We certainly know that folks aren't lonely only during the holidays so we try to keep up with those social visits and making sure that we're meeting with folks periodically."

It's a goal Gifts for Seniors Twin Cities extends far beyond February, and far beyond Edina.

"I think it's important to take care of your senior population. Because we're all going there, at least with some luck," volunteer Jean Rarick said.

The nonprofit partners with 140 aging services across 10 different counties.

"Just bringing some of those day brighteners and moments of joy is really important to us," Deters said.

Heritage of Edina activities director Jennifer Mercuson sees the impacts of isolation on elderly adults firsthand.

"It actually can be a killer. People will isolate and stay to themselves and before you know it their mental health declines and their physical health declines," she said.

Making this connection even more meaningful.

"It's really fun to interact and talk with them and learn about them and hear their stories and make them feel like they're human," Anne, a volunteer, said.

Gifts that go beyond the physical.

"It just brightens their day, can brighten their week, brighten their month. It brings so much joy to them," Mercuson said. "People wouldn't even understand how just a little act of love and kindness brings so much joy."

Gifts for Seniors Twin Cities provides everything from care packages and cards to basic needs and essentials to isolated older adults in our state.

Below is the video segment for this story by Beret Leone:

Amy Hockert of Fox 9 news produced this segment showing the impact of Gifts for Seniors on Greg!

Susan Elizabeth Littlefield of WCCO 4 News featured Gifts for Seniors on Good Question.