CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – During the holiday season, many people are focused on donating gifts for kids in the region.
While there is a need to provide for children, there’s also another often-forgotten group of people.
“A lot of that demographic is older adults,” said Bailey Lind, a corps administrator for The Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army provides gifts to thousands of kids every year through their Angel Tree program.
Lind said while this program is all throughout the region, the New River Valley is the only one extending the program to seniors.
“From what I can see, we are kind of the only people that do seniors here,” said Lind. “So we see it’s a need and so we want to try and find the people if they can’t find us.”
Morgan Cannon at Spring Oak Assisted Living in Christiansburg said the holidays can be tough for some of their residents.
“It can be kind of hard because maybe they’re missing some of the nostalgia of Christmas and maybe some of the important loved ones have passed away,” Cannon said.
One long-time resident said while holidays can be tough at times, Spring Oak keeps the atmosphere positive.
“Morgan has done a good job decorating the trees,” said Cindy Present.
She said she is looking forward to the simple pleasures of the holidays.
“I’m hoping this year that we can do eggnog — I love eggnog,” Present said.
Lind said Angel Tree tags can be found throughout the New River Valley at your local Walmart.