WACO, Texas — The holiday season can sometimes be challenging for people experiencing loneliness, which is why Friends for Life is accepting gift donations and delivering them to seniors who are without family this December.
“It’s a minimal amount of time to make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Jim Brown with Friends For Life.
Brown has been volunteering with the organization for the past 15 years.
“The reaction is utmost appreciation,” he said.
There is lots of appreciation from people like Abraham Campell.
“I can’t put a price on what they do," Campbell said.
"I just can’t put a price on what they did for me."
Campbell hasn’t seen his family in years, so when volunteers from Friends for Life came knocking on his door with gifts for Christmas, it changed his life.
“Considering that I had lost everything, I was in another room, before I lost everything, due to a bad fire," Campbell said.
"It made me feel warm and it made me feel good knowing there are people that care."
Friends for Life has seen a 25 percent increase in their senior database since the pandemic. Kay Johnson says they’ve also seen an increase in loneliness among the elderly.
“When they have someone show up at their door with a gift, they’re just overwhelmed,” Johnson said.
This is why they’re gifting blankets, slippers, and so much more.
“They’ll say, 'I didn’t think anyone would ever remember me', 'I didn’t think I would get anything', 'I was going to be spending this time alone'," Johnson said.
Those words of isolation are the reason that Brown steps up every year.
“I think anybody who has walked a mile with their own parents and seen the challenges that they faced, and tried to help with, certainly makes me aware of the need for volunteers,” he said.
Friends for Life welcomes help from volunteers they’ll be hosting a wrapping party Dec. 2 and 9.
