Thanks to support from the community, 190 seniors who wouldn’t have otherwise got Christmas gifts this year.
The Bracebridge Public Library’s Santa for Seniors handed out gifts to residents at The Pines, James Street Retirement Residence, Muskoka Hills Retirement Villa, Castle Peak, The Friends, and Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.
“We are blown away by the generosity of individuals and local businesses who helped to bring some holiday cheer to seniors in need,” says Mckenzie Barnes, Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the library.
On top of the gifts, 400 non-perishable food items were donated to the Manna Food Bank.
“This program has become something more than we ever could have imagined,” says Ashleigh Whipp, Community Engagement & Programming Coordinator. “The amount of support we receive from our community is astonishing, and we could never thank everyone enough.”
This was the second year the library ran the Santa for Seniors program. “This year, with everyone’s support, we were able to partner with more organizations, get more gifts to more seniors, and donate even more food to the food bank,” says Barnes. “These programs display the true spirit of Muskoka. Once again, thank you to everyone that participated in Santa for Seniors and Manna’s wish list and helped to spread some holiday cheer to the community this year.”