With the holidays in full swing, people are in the giving spirit, and the idea of giving around the holidays is not just for the youth. Home Instead, a senior care facility located in Whitehall, is run by Frank D’Amico and his wife, Kimberly Koze D’Amico. The two have been heavily involved with providing senior care for years and believe it is important to keep seniors active, engaged and independent for as long as possible. One of the big projects Home Instead works on is the Be A Santa To A Senior program, or BASTAS.

BASTAS allows the community to unite and offer gifts to seniors who are less fortunate and perhaps in need of a visit. Names and gift suggestions were provided by Lehigh County Area on Aging, Cedarbrook, Meals on Wheels and two other senior living facilities by mid-November. Trees with gift suggestion tags were placed at four locations: Parkland Restaurant, Superior in Emmaus, Boscov’s at Lehigh Valley Mall and South Mall. More than 350 tags were taken, and the gifts were returned to the tree sites.

“The outpouring from the community and volunteers was amazing this year,” Koze D’Amico said. “Instead of contributors purchasing one of the three to four suggested items, they bought all of them for the seniors. Each individual package seemed to be supersized this year. No tag was left behind, and calls were made to refurbish the trees with more names.”

The packages were collected and wrapped by caregivers and volunteers within the community. The drop-offs have occurred in the hopes of bringing joy to the seniors of the Lehigh Valley.

“This type of event is truly the reason of the season.” D’Amico said. “Charity and sensitivity, awareness to others’ needs is humbling. Many contributors could not believe that some of our seniors’ wishes were as simple as cleaning products, a warm pair of socks or food for a pet. So simple, yet so joyful when you know that you make a difference.

“Generous employees at the locations were grabbing tags, exciting their patrons to donate, and the patrons were excited to teach their young about being charitable. Many kind donors went out of their way to fulfill all of the seniors’ wishes. Some even tracked us down to ensure that no gift was missed. Everyone wins with this project!” he said.

For those who wish to still help out, D’Amico suggests to simply look around your nearby areas and take notice to those who may benefit from a kind gesture.

“Simple pleasures please our seniors. As for next year, you can volunteer senior names of who could benefit from the program, take a tree tag, help collect the donations, wrap with us or help to distribute. Increased awareness always helps!”

The D’Amicos also would like to give the biggest thank you to the Lehigh Valley and to the businesses that hosted the BASTAS trees.

“Through your generosity, nearly 350 senior hearts have been warmed,” D’Amico said. “Thank you.”