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| The gift-wrapping party at the Annandale Fire Station. |
Hundreds of volunteers took part in the seventh annual Be a Santa to a Senior program, sponsored by the Annandale office of Home Instead Senior Care.
They donated, collected, sorted, and wrapped nearly 2,000 gifts for lower-income senior residents of assisted living facilities that might otherwise not be remembered during the holidays.
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| Patricia Laura (left) and daughter Kimberly of Annandale. |
The main event of Be a Santa to a Senior was the gift-wrapping party Dec. 17 at the social hall in the Annandale Fire Station on Columbia Pike. At least 100 people wrapped presents in bright holiday paper, as Elvis Tribute artist Lionel Ward sang and chatted with them. Chick-fil-Aand Magill’s Famous Pizza and Buffet donated food.
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| Lionel Ward as Evis with Lucy Reynolds, asixth-grader at Ravensworth Elementary School. |
The gifts are being distributed to 560 residents of several senior living facilities in Northern Virginia, including Sleepy Hollow Manor and Lincolnia Senior Residences in Mason District.
Most of the seniors had put simple items on their wish lists, like blankets, toiletries, DVDs, slippers, bathrobes, and puzzles. But volunteers also accommodated more challenging requests, including a book from the U.S. Patent Office and a CD player.