The holidays are here, and in the midst of preparing Thanksgiving feasts, many Tucsonans are strategizing to make the most of Black Friday, and local nonprofits are hoping to harvest some fruits of your shopping labors.
The needs are abundant but simple: Items such as blankets, toys, socks or gift cards can make the holiday merry for everyone from lonely seniors to homeless teens and other children who may otherwise feel left out during the holiday season.
This is particularly true for children whose parents are active-duty members of the military, according to Alice Truhlar.
Truhlar, 75, along with other members of the Women of the Chapel at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, is a volunteer for the Tucson Troop Support Holiday Party for Military Children.
“Most of the children whose parents are deployed — besides missing their parents — have such a sense of being forgotten. That is why this party is so important. It is isn’t so much the amount of the gift; it is the idea that they are remembered,” said Truhlar, who helped to collect new, unwrapped toys and also dressed as Mrs. Claus during the party last year. “I had the same experience as a young person when my dad was in the military. The fact that someone we didn’t know was doing something good for us was just magnificent. For these children it is like, ‘Wow, there really is a Santa.’”
Truhlar said that posing with the children for pictures was entertaining, and the children were grateful to receive a toy and “shop” for gifts for their siblings at the free event.
For her part, Truhlar said she is happy to try to make the holidays a little brighter for 500 children whose parents are on active duty.
“It takes a very special person to be able to do what these soldiers do; it makes no difference what their gender is. There is no way to pay them back: The work they do is priceless,” Truhlar said.
Helping homeless teens
Another gift that you can’t put a price tag on is a blanket for a homeless teen, according to Bethany Neumann, director of development for Youth On Their Own.
“Lots of our kids don’t actually get any gifts over the holidays, so it is wonderful to be able to give them a blanket and a gift card so they can go out and get something they want or need,” said Neumann of the group’s “Spread the Warmth” challenge.
The drive seeks to collect 1,500 adult-sized blankets and throws and 1,500 gift cards in increments of $25 for homeless and near-homeless middle school and high school students by Dec. 7. The gifts will be distributed to students prior to the holiday break.
Neumann said the impact is significant for children who are on their own for reasons ranging from abuse and/or neglect to abandonment or parental incarceration. Last year the nonprofit served 1,741 students; that number is expected to increase by 10 percent during the 2018-2019 school year.
“A 2018 graduate said that ‘one of the worst feelings during the holiday season is the feeling of being alone and that feeling subsided’ with the unexpected gifts,” Neumann said.
Donation drive for seniors
A large population of local seniors also experience loneliness during the holidays, according to Emily Greenleaf, coordinator of “Be A Santa to a Senior” with Home Instead Senior Care.
The program is collecting gifts for more than 1,400 seniors in 30 facilities throughout the city. Similar to an Angel Tree program, Be a Santa to a Senior places trees and wreathes at 15 locations around Tucson. Prospective donors can choose an ornament, purchase the requested gift and return it unwrapped (with ornament attached) to the donation box at the chosen location by Dec. 17.
“The purpose is to help seniors who don’t have family or their family lives out of state or maybe they are less fortunate so they won’t have a Christmas. We want to find something they want that will cheer them up and deliver it with a nice bow on top to help make their holidays happier,” said Greenleaf.
Requested items range from socks, sweaters and sweat suits to University of Arizona gear and books, as well as board games, coloring books and toiletries.
“These are very simple things that can make people happy. When these seniors don’t have anyone who visits throughout the year and they get a gift at Christmas, it tells them that ‘Someone is thinking about you; someone out there cares about you,’” she said.
