[0:01] [Music]

[0:02] my name is John Schlice I'm the

[0:04] coordinator for Gifts for Seniors I've

[0:06] been here roughly three years Gifts for

[0:08] Seniors has been around for 31 years

[0:10] We're in the 10ount metro area providing

[0:12] basic needs and other resources in the

[0:15] senior

[0:18] community I'm um Jordue and I'm the

[0:22] adult senior programs coordinator at

[0:24] Gladstone Community Education Center And

[0:27] back in uh December 2023 I was just um

[0:31] looking online and found uh your website

[0:36] and uh Carolyn Jeter put me in contact

[0:38] with you and then you sent me all the

[0:40] forms to get it started and uh the

[0:43] previous weekend I was at Menard's and I

[0:45] remember seeing the blue barrels with

[0:47] that logo and oh that's that's you know

[0:50] that's what they're doing So these are

[0:52] the barrels that go out throughout the

[0:55] uh 10 county metro area and most of the

[0:58] barrels that we have over a hundred of

[1:00] them is where Jordy had found at

[1:02] Hetmanards And so this is where the

[1:04] donations come into they go into the

[1:06] barrel Uh we get a phone call saying the

[1:08] barrel is full We have volunteers that

[1:10] go and pick up the items from the barrel

[1:12] and then bring them in Then we get them

[1:13] back in the shelf so we can continue the

[1:15] shopping for the seniors So it was the

[1:17] on the holiday gift wish list that was

[1:19] just like a list of gifts and then uh

[1:21] the seniors could uh choose a first

[1:24] choice and a second choice and I

[1:26] remember that actually one of our

[1:28] seniors uh was just telling me that her

[1:30] coffee maker broke down and then she saw

[1:34] that on the list there was like a small

[1:36] appliances but she said I will never I'm

[1:39] never going to get a coffee maker you

[1:40] know it's way too big of a gift and and

[1:44] I so I encourage her to actually put

[1:46] this as a first choice and put something

[1:47] else as a second choice And then uh when

[1:50] she received the gift and opened it and

[1:53] found out that she actually was a coffee

[1:55] maker she really burst into tears Those

[1:57] are the testimonies that we like to hear

[2:00] because those are moments that we can

[2:02] share and everybody else can share And

[2:04] that's what brings everyone together cuz

[2:06] it only makes one person to make a

[2:08] difference and make everything a much

[2:09] better situation

[2:11] [Music]

[2:16] So so for the gift bags we we do spring

[2:20] and then we do a fall which is generally

[2:22] themed with a fall safety bag as well

[2:25] just a different type of a bag And then

[2:26] we have a holiday bag that that we do

[2:30] And that's pretty much uh devoted more

[2:33] towards you know the Meals on Wheels

[2:36] program just because of what it would

[2:38] take to get the information we would

[2:40] need for you know for shopping and

[2:43] things of that nature But this works It

[2:45] makes it easy for them to distribute and

[2:47] then we're by having this we're able to

[2:49] reach out to more people where otherwise

[2:51] we wouldn't have that And plus as well

[2:53] as getting the gift the meals on wheels

[2:55] it's just bringing another social visit

[2:58] you know to the seniors So last year uh

[3:00] for our holiday program for which we're

[3:02] most known is November and December and

[3:04] we did over 8,000 gifts Some of these

[3:08] seniors it might be the only time they

[3:10] would even get a gift from from anybody

[3:12] And that that is you know those are the

[3:14] things that we hear This is the only

[3:16] gift that I've you know that I received

[3:18] this year Every gift that leaves our

[3:20] office has a personal card a personal

[3:22] note in it and that makes a big

[3:24] difference

[3:25] I just just wanted to read a note that

[3:27] we received back in August

[3:29] 2024 Uh dear gift for seniors I sure

[3:34] enjoy surprises Your kindness in

[3:36] gathering gifts for us at the Gladstone

[3:38] Community Education Center is so

[3:41] appreciated Incredible that you are able

[3:44] to match gifts to our interest You are

[3:48] generous in giving time to collect all

[3:50] of the items Please know it brought me

[3:53] smiles Thank you God bless you That's

[3:56] what it's all about