SUMMIT HILL, Pa. — For the past 12 years, Mary Ann Dulaney has asked the same question to nursing homes and rehabilitation centers throughout Carbon and Schuylkill Counties around Christmastime: What do seniors need?
Her questions and the answers are part of a mission that ensures all seniors get a present around the holidays.
"Everybody of every age should get Christmas presents, and you think about a lot of people who don't remember the people in the nursing homes, or they don't have family, so this is our way of giving back and making sure everybody gets a gift," said Dulaney.
Socks for Seniors is a nationwide service project founded in Ohio. It helps support and provide personal items, including but not limited to, socks for senior citizens.
Hiles Bros. Company in Summit Hill has been a donation site since the initiative started.
"We get a lot of donations here because we do Toys for Tots, and we do the Angel Tree for the Salvation Army, and a lot of people want to give to the kids, and they don't realize or think about the people in the nursing homes. All of us have had people in our families that have been in nursing homes. But I want to think about those people that have no one," said Lisa Hiles, one of the owners of Hiles Bros. Companies.
Dulaney collects for at least five nursing homes and rehab centers throughout Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, giving out roughly 400 gifts. She hopes the community will join the effort and give back.
"If it were you, wouldn't you want an item? How would it make you feel? I mean, it's one of those do-good stories. I think about my parents, who I've lost, and how you always look for special things for them, and it's time you open up your heart and think about them too," said Dulaney.
You have until December 10 to drop off items.
Collecting new and unwrapped items
- socks (non-skid and regular)
- soft tissues
- personal care items (brushes, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, chapstick, deodorant)
- wrapped snacks or sugar-free candy
- costume jewelry
- backscratchers
- garden gloves (for wheelchair use)
- puzzle books, crosswords.
Donation drop-off locations
- Tommy's Restaurant, 109 E Phillips St, Coaldale, PA 18218
- Cynthia's Cynful Styles, 35 W Ridge St, Lansford, PA 18232
- Hiles Bros Companies, 160 E North St, Summit Hill, PA 18250
- Mauch Chunk 5&10, 9 Broadway, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229
- Beacon 443, 35 Blakeslee Blvd Dr E, Lehighton, PA 18235
- Dr. Puddu's office, 221 E Broad St, Tamaqua, PA 18252
- M&S Hardware, 10 W Broad St, Tamaqua, PA 18252