50+ Lifestyles

Making the Season Merry and Bright for Quad City Area Older Adults

By Kathy Malmloff
Senior SECRET Santa Coordinator

The holiday season is the time of year when we think of those who are less fortunate. Traditionally we think about children and families, but every year hundreds of Quad City area older adults go without holiday meals, gifts, and companionship due to lack of family, friends, and financial resources.

The Center For Active Seniors, Inc. (CASI) is working to ensure that older adults are not forgotten this holiday season through the Quad Cities Senior SECRET Santa Program.

Last year, the Senior SECRET Santa program filled the seasonal wishes of more than 700 low to extremely low-income seniors, in Iowa and Illinois. The number of older adults enrolling in this program is growing, due to the increased lack of support associated with the ongoing pandemic. To accommodate these needs, CASI is asking individuals, businesses, and community organizations to adopt a senior or two this holiday season.

Here are the Top Five Senior SECRET Santa Wish List Items:

1. Personal Care Items

Soap; Shampoo/ Conditioner; deodorant; lotion;
shaving cream, adult briefs, diabetic socks, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

2. Cleaning Items

Household cleaning products; laundry soap and fabric softener; garbage bags; toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex.

3. Clothing

Socks; slippers; undergarments; pajamas, shirts and pants; winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.

4. Household Items

Pots, pans, toasters, coffee pots; kitchen towels, bath towels; pillows, sheets, blankets, bedspreads.

5. Gift Cards

Area grocery stores and pharmacies for food and medicine and medical supplies.

If you would like to help with the Senior SECRET Santa program, call 563.386.7477, or stop by CASI, located at 1035 West Kimberly Road, Davenport, IA 52806. Online donations can also be made via the CASI website, CASIseniors.org. Individual wish/gift tags are available at CASI during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gifts and tags are due back to CASI by Friday, December 10.

The Quad Cities Senior SECRET Santa program is presented by Modern Woodmen of America, the program’s Official Naughty AND Nice Delivery Team. North Pole communications is provided by Mix 96, The New BIG 106.5, Fox 18 News, Quad Cities C.W., and Local 4 – WHBF-TV4.

On behalf of our partners, the CASI staff and Board of Directors, Happy Holidays.