Needy seniors to get Christmas deliveries today

KLPZ’s annual Elder Tree program culminates in two days of deliveries of hundreds of items to needy seniors throughout La Paz County.

The program starts when the seniors, many of whom are housebound or lack in mobility, tell Meals on Wheels their needs this Christmas (usually basic items like house slippers, winter clothes or heaters) and some of their wants too (chocolates, games). This is facilitated through Parker Senior Center. Then, the items are placed on cards underneath each senior’s name, and those cards are placed on KLPZ’s Christmas tree.

Members of the public are then invited to come and pick names from the tree and buy those items for them. The photographs below show the items that were bought by members of the community for the seniors in need. Many of them are bought each year by Helping Hands, a volunteer group from Black Meadow Landing.

Today and tomorrow, they’ll all be delivered by a team of volunteers including those from the senior center, officers from the Department of Public Safety and others. Volunteers are often shocked at the conditions some of the seniors are living in. The gifts are very important to these seniors and, in many cases, they’ll be the only gifts they receive.

Thanks to all who bought gifts, who volunteered to deliver them and to KLPZ’s Juanita Learn for spearheading the program.