Senior Holiday Project
Make the Holiday Brighter for Homebound La Mesa SeniorsThe Chamber is now beginning to gather items for our 16 homebound seniors. It is the goal of the Chamber to collect, purchase and assemble items and place them in large gift baskets and gift bags. All these gift bags are delivered to the selected seniors by the La Mesa Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol. Due to delivery schedule, the deadline to receive the gifts for our seniors is Friday, December 1st. This will allow time to wrap all the items, prepare all the gift basket and purchase the items needed. The Chamber plans to make this holiday special for these wonderful members of our community!
You may deliver your items to:
The La Mesa Chamber office: 8080 La Mesa Blvd., Suite 214 to Fran Smith, Monday – Friday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mary England is also available 7 days a week to meet donors and pick up those items directly from you. Contact Mary England at (619) 251-7730 and she can arrange to meet you to pick up your items.
Suggested items to purchase or donate:
Canned soups, canned vegetables, canned fruits, crackers, pasta, marinara, macaroni & cheese, instant cereals, bars of soap, tubes of tooth paste, tissues, bottles of hand soaps, hand sanitizer, socks, pens and pads of paper. Gift cards in any denomination from the following locations: Walmart, Target, or any grocery store. Please double check expiration dates!
If you have another item you believe will put a smile on their faces, by all means drop them off! We want to make this a memorable holiday for our home bound seniors again this year.
The La Mesa Chamber and Community Members Join Forces and Bring “Joy” to Our Local Seniors
Several definitions of the word “joy” are – to rejoice, happiness, a glad feeling, pleasure, and delight. This year we took the “joy” of assisting our 24 homebound seniors to a new level. The outpouring of support from Chamber members and people from throughout the region was amazing! We received food, toiletries, and other items from La Mesa, San Diego, Santee, El Cajon, Jamul, and Spring Valley. To add to this “joyful” experience, we had several donors participate by crocheting blankets and shawls, and others made colorful homemade fleece blankets for our seniors. To complete this year’s “labor of love,” we were honored to receive beautiful handmade Christmas stockings from the Pioneers, a volunteer network of AT&T. These folks work tirelessly throughout the year making these stockings. They deliver them stuffed with items such as – shampoo, conditioner, scarves, socks and more. The Pioneers added a special bonus this year, an adorable stuffed bear that was attached to each stocking!
We are proud to announce the results of this year’s La Mesa Homebound Senior Project. A total of 3,361 items were donated and/or purchased for this year’s project. They were packed for delivery on December 10th into bags donated by: EDCO, Fully Promoted EmbroidMe La Mesa and Sycuan Casino Resort. Some of the totals by category were – non-perishable food items: vegetables, pasta, cereals, soups, sauces, beans, etc. – 1,170 cans or boxes, stationery/writing tablets, paper supplies and calendars – 429 tablets & paper products, toiletries: soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotions, etc. – 905 individual items, and blankets/home category – 612 misc. items. This year, we had over 145 gift cards and cash donations allocated to each senior by donors to include in baskets with their delivery. The Chamber assembled all the items into 96 bags/baskets that were decorated with a little holiday flair and ready to be taken to each home.
We are grateful to our sponsors/supporters that helped us put smiles on the faces of our homebound seniors this holiday season: AMR, Linda Bethel, Carl Burger Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM World, EDCO, Fully Promoted EmbroidMe La Mesa, Lily’s Manufactured Homes, Susan McDowell. PenChecks, Inc., Pete’s Place, Sungarden Terrace Retirement Community & Adult Daycare and Sycuan Casino Resort. They were joined by financial donations from Tracey Ferguson and Gloria Shepard, and Bruce and Kimberly McIntyre.
The generosity of the public and our members in supporting this project, is a testament to the love that we all share for our senior population. Our seniors do not ask for much and accept all they are given with a grateful heart. We thank everyone who participated in this year’s project.
Photos courtesy of Sandra Small/ Photographer and the LMPD.