Sudbury seniors spread cheer through Home Instead's "Be a Santa to a Senior" program

A special Christmas tree at the Parkside Older Adult Centre in Sudbury is helping seniors there spread cheer to others who may be alone or in a low-income situation. 

Carmela Pittman has taken a tag shaped like an ornament from the tree, and will purchase the clothing items listed on it for a senior whom she doesn't know.

She'll bring the gift back to the Parkside Centre, where it will be wrapped and delivered to the senior who requested it.

Pittman says she understands the challenges of aging.

"Life changes for many people, and life changes as we age, and sometimes we find ourselves alone and it is nice to think of others," she said. "And Christmas is a time to give and it makes people feel very special when they receive something and they know that they are being thought of."

Pittman says this is the first time she's taken part in the "Be a Santa to a Senior" program run by Home Instead, an agency that provides home care across North America.

Personal support workers identify the seniors in need, and find out what they'd like. They then decorate the trees with the tags in order to connect with a senior who wants to be a Santa.

There are four trees in Sudbury, one of them at the Parkside Centre.

Natalie Labbée is the assistant manager and program coordinator at the older adult centre, which caters to those 50 and older.

"To get a gift at Christmas time, especially if you're a low income senior or you're living alone, you may or may not have family around or many of your friends left, because people are passing away, and your circle is becoming smaller," she said. "So just to know that someone else, who is a complete stranger, is thinking about you at Christmas, I think would just make people feel a lot better about the season."

Patricia McCaffrey has also taken a tag from the tree.

As a senior, she says it feels good to be able to do something similar for another senior.

The campaign reminds her of a similar one that she took part in years ago with her children.

"I was a single mom with two little girls, and even though we didn't have a whole lot of money, they had the Angel tree, and we would make sure we got two gifts for two different children."