Rotary, Council on Aging deliver Santa for Seniors

ALBANY — Fifty homebound seniors across southwest Georgia will experience Christmas this year thanks to the partnership between Sowega Council on Aging and the Dougherty County Rotary Club. Santa for Seniors is an annual event that provides stockings filled with gifts to clients in the SCOA Home Delivered Meals program.

“The seniors enrolled in the Home Delivered Meals program are homebound and often live alone,” Izzie Sadler, SCOA executive director, said. “When our meal delivery partners arrive at the front doors with a meal and a Christmas stocking in hand, the faces of our clients light up. For some, this may be the only Christmas present they receive.”

“The Dougherty County Rotary Club has helped with the Santa for Seniors projected for 12 years,” Dougherty County Rotary Club President Morgan Barnette said. “We fill 50 stockings with a variety of items like cheese and meat trays, socks, tissues, blankets, and other goodies. Our club members graciously donate each year to be able to fund the project, and volunteers put the stockings together. It’s one of the annual projects our members look forward to the most.

“Rotary’s motto is ‘service above self,’ and our club enjoys working together to make a positive difference in our community.”

Last year, SCOA delivered 145,198 hot, nutritious meals to 774 seniors enrolled in the Home Delivered Meals program across the agency’s 14-county service area. While the number of seniors seeking services continues to rise, SCOA depends on private donations to supplement funds provided by the government to help meet the growing needs.

To donate to the Home Delivered Meals program, visit www.sowegacoa.org/donate.

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