The Young Adult Ministry from the Our Lady of Mercy Parish started participating in Santa for Seniors in 2020. Former leader and now advisor Liz Meneses said that the ministry is made up of university-/post-university-aged young adults whose mandate is to give back to the community through leadership with a vision of building a community of compassionate leaders.

For their holiday giving, they put together gift-of-care bags for local seniors in need. Each bag was filled with basic necessities such as soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizers with winter toque, gloves, scarves, and cookies and chocolates too! As well as some special holiday touches including a small stuffed toy and heartfelt personalized letter for each senior.

The members did everything from raising money to purchasing the items, shopping, creating the bags and personalizing letters for each of the 48 seniors they created bags for. The program was a labour of love for the group.

Liz explained the impact of the program on its members.

“Participating in Santa for Seniors created awareness that not everyone is privileged, and that there are many seniors who are living alone.”

She went on, “They also learned that giving can be transformative, not only for the recipient, but for each of us.”

Beyond Santa for Seniors, the Young Adult Ministry also taught seniors digital literacy skills.

You can’t believe how happy a senior is once they learn how to post a photo on Facebook, and/or to place online orders for their groceries,” Liz recalled. “This generation has grown up with technology, so it was natural to have them teach the seniors. More importantly, the project forged a connection across generations, which benefited everyone involved.”

If your community group or organization would like to get involved in Santa for Seniors, call 604-520-6621.