Organizers of the annual Angel Tree for Seniors are excited to be hosting another year of this event that has become a family tradition for many in the area. Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish, and Carbon County Senior Center Meals on Wheels Program are proud sponsors and both are looking forward to bringing the holiday spirt to those in need.
“Even in 2020, this is a wonderful culmination of the year, this is our sixth year doing this service to the seniors and I would like to point out that everybody that we have an ornament for they are all Meals on Wheels recipients. So we have many more this year because the senior centers are closed except for curbside and the Meals on Wheels trucks, and so we have a lot more recipients,” said Coordinator, Nancy Labahan. Last year the Angel Tree for Seniors program was able to help assist over 200 individuals with various items for the Christmas holiday.
The Angel Tree for Seniors program is fortunate to be working along side the Carbon and Emery County Senior Centers to establish a wish list from each of the participants. “We get wish list from the seniors and the Meals on Wheels coordinator hands them to the people, and they fill out their wish list. We break those up, say they want a set of towels, and they want a set of sheets for their bed, we don’t just put both of those on one ornament because we don’t want it to be a financial hardship for anybody that is picking up an ornament to buy for these seniors so we break them up. We have 434 ornaments this year,” said Labahan. Items that some Seniors may request are gloves, hats, lap blankets, slippers, puzzle books, pajamas, and surprisingly, quite a few of the elderly just want a gift card to the grocery store to get food.
This year there will be two trees set up, one in each county. The Carbon County Angel Tree for Seniors will be set up inside the Carbon County Administration Building on 751 East 100 North. The Emery County Angel Tree for Seniors will be set up inside the Courthouse in Castle Dale. “They can go in there get one ornament or get as many as you want, as usual sign them out on the clipboard what the number of the ornament is and go shopping and return the present to the senior center both the one in Carbon County if you live here or if you are in Emery County you can return to the senior center there,” stated Labahan. For those purchasing the items for seniors are asked to return those gifts to the Senior Centers in Price and/or Castle Dale no later than Monday, November 30.
If you are unable to participate in the program but would like to make a monetary donation towards the cause can contact Nancy Labahan at (435) 637-6195.