Help Bring Christmas Joy to West Texas Elders

Let your heart be filled with the holiday spirit. This is a time of the year when many senior citizens in the Big Country need to feel loved and less alone.

Thus my friends at James McCoy Drug Stores are participating in the "Senior Gifts from Santa" project put together by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. While similar projects have been taking place throughout the Lone Star State for years, this will be the first year for "Senior Gifts from Santa" to be in Abilene.

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I spoke with Marci Leffler of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and she informed me that James McCoy Drug Stores are delighted to participate in bringing Christmas cheer to those who may not have anyone to be with this Christmas.

James McCoy Drug Stores have teamed up with Adult Protective Services (APS) here in Abilene to bring Christmas gifts to our many seniors in our local hospitals. I've been aware of a similar program that the Dyess We Care Team does, but for veterans only. The " Senior Gifts from Santa" program benefits all seniors.

These are our parents and grandparents who may have been overlooked. APS works to make sure that vulnerable seniors age 65 and over - or anyone that is 18-64 years old with a severe disability - are free from abuse and neglect. That includes providing these fellow citizens of ours with holiday gifts and helping them to feel not so alone.

The James McCoy Drug Stores have agreed to sponsor the "Senior Gifts from Santa" project. With the help and generosity of our Big Country community, this will hopefully help make the holiday season a little brighter for our elders.

Community Engagement Specialist Marci Leffler said, “We wanted to partner with a business in Abilene that has a heart for our growing aging population. All too often the elderly people whom APS works with receive nothing during Christmas and are moved to tears when their worker shows up with simple gifts of things like socks and slippers.” Source: Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Press Release

All you have to do to be a part of "Senior Gifts from Santa" is visit a James McCoy Drug Store and select a list of simple, inexpensive gifts you can shop for, then donate these gifts at one of McCoy's drop boxes.