'Painting the town purple': Group seeking gift donations for Portage seniors

Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier
·2 min read
Paula Baughman, Home Instead Portage County community relations director, and Joan Penix, executic director, decorate the Santa to a Senior tree at the Portage County Administration Building in Ravenna.
Paula Baughman, Home Instead Portage County community relations director, and Joan Penix, executic director, decorate the Santa to a Senior tree at the Portage County Administration Building in Ravenna.
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Christmas will be a little brighter this year for some senior citizens in Portage County.

Home Instead Senior Care is bringing back its "Be A Santa To A Senior" program to collect gift donations for older adults across the county.

Joan Penix, executive director of Home Instead Senior Care of Portage County, said 350 seniors from nearly every part of the county are signed up for the program this year. In addition to the gifts, the seniors get a visit from the person who delivers the gift, plus a handmade card from a local student.

"The main thing is it takes them out of isolation," she said. "It lets them know they're not forgotten."

Donors can take a purple paper ornament from one of 10 Christmas trees spread throughout Portage County, each containing the gift wishes of a senior. This is the 20th year for the program.

The unwrapped gifts can be brought back to the location where the ornament came from by Dec. 8.

Community members can pick a tag and be Santa to an area senior through the Home Instead Portage County Santa to Senior program.
Community members can pick a tag and be Santa to an area senior through the Home Instead Portage County Santa to Senior program.

Trees are at the following locations:

  • Home Instead, 705 Oakwood St., Suite 107, Ravenna

  • Portage County Administration Building, Lobby Entrance, 449 S. Meridian St., Ravenna

  • Portage Community Bank, 1311 E. Main St., Ravenna

  • The RAC, 530 N. Freedom St., Ravenna

  • Haasz Automall of Ravenna, 4886 state Route 14, Ravenna

  • Rootstown Community Pharmacy, 4211 state Route 44, Rootstown

  • Dairy Queen, 4009 state Route 14, Edinburg

  • Mantua Station Drug Store, 10870 state Route 44, Mantua

  • The Garrettsville Library, 10482 South St., Garrettsville

  • Aurora Senior Center, 129 W. Pioneer Trail, Aurora

Paula Baughman, community relations director at Home Instead in Ravenna, said many of the requests are simple. People ask for things like pajamas and robes, cleaning supplies, sheet sets, snack sets, towels and stationary and stamps to write to their loved ones. One senior even asked for cleaning supplies, Baughman said.

Paula Baughman, Home Instead Portage County community relations director, decorates the Santa to a Senior tree at the Portage County Administration Building in Ravenna.
Paula Baughman, Home Instead Portage County community relations director, decorates the Santa to a Senior tree at the Portage County Administration Building in Ravenna.

She said the paper bulbs are purple to reflect Home Instead's logo colors.

"We're painting the town purple," she said.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Home Instead Senior Care seeking gift donations across Portage