Fifty homebound seniors across Southwest Georgia will experience Christmas this year thanks to the partnership between Sowega Council on Aging (SCOA) and the Dougherty County Rotary Club. Santa for Seniors is an annual event that provides stockings filled with gifts to clients in the SCOA Home Delivered Meals program.

“We believe in the power of community partnerships and are so grateful to the members of the Dougherty County Rotary Club for providing these gifts that will be given to the seniors in our Home Delivered Meals program,” says Izzie Sadler, SCOA Executive Director. “Many of their faces will light up this week as they receive a hot meal delivered by a friendly face with plenty of Christmas cheer!”

“The Dougherty County Rotary Club has helped with the Santa for Seniors project for 13 years,” says Tommy Clark of Colony Bank, President of the Dougherty County Rotary Club. “We fill fifty stockings with a variety of items like cheese and meat trays, socks, tissues, blankets, and other goodies. Our Club members graciously donate each year to be able to fund the project, and volunteers put the stockings together. It’s one of the annual projects our members look forward to the most. Rotary’s motto is ‘service above self,’ and our Club enjoys working together to make a positive difference in our community.” 

Last year, SCOA delivered 139,677 hot, nutritious meals to 735 seniors enrolled in the Home Delivered Meals program across their 14-county service area. While the number of seniors seeking services continues to rise, SCOA depends on private donations to supplement funds provided by the government to help meet the growing needs. To donate to the Home Delivered Meals program, please visit www.sowegacoa.org/donate.