The annual Elves for Elders campaign has morphed into an opportunity to bring joy for thousands of senior citizens, during the holidays. Recipients receive a nominal gift from the public though “stars,” picked up at various merchants, statewide.
The objective of Elves for Elders is securing presents for seniors in communities, who may not otherwise receive something during the holidays. The program has grown from 300 gifts in its first year, to surpassing 5,000 gifts, this year.
These gifts arrive through donations raised by people and corporate drives. Presents range from pajamas and other clothing to toiletries (shaving cream, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrushes, etc.). The gifts are placed in festive bags, and transported to the area care facilities, to be distributed to the residents.
Spearheaded by Maxine Mae Hutchins, she is heartened by the immense support and generosity from people throughout this region.
“This began as an idea to show seniors that they aren’t forgotten,” said Hutchins, who works at A1 Alert in Attleboro, MA. “The ever-growing outreach we got this year was amazing. Elves for Elders keeps growing because more people want to help. That translates into reaching more seniors, who may not benefit from having family or relatives, locally.”
Her event’s outreach included the following businesses that stepped up for Maxine:
- Three fundraisers were hosted by Halcyon at West Bay in Warwick. Those events raised a total of $10,000.
- They received donations from both Navigant Credit Union and Allstate Insurance.
- They also received a generous anonymous donor!
Perhaps the biggest change was the most positive. Hutchins was ecstatic over the news her organization became a 501(c) 3 entity this year! This means she will be able to apply for grants, accept monetary donations, and seek out government programs for assistance.
She noted that being able to collect money from the public will further the cause.
“Being able to accept money from the community will be a game changer,” Hutchins said. “It will mean the chance of reaching more seniors who are impacted during the holidays. It will brighten their day and perhaps, their outlook for the season.”
The Elves for Elders program began from a simple act of kindness, according to Hutchins. She decided to hand make and send out holiday greetings to seniors who she discovered received nothing for the holidays. Reasons stemmed from the person not having family members in the area to being alone. It was a comment from one recipient, who said that was the only card she got, that sparked Hutchins with the idea that endures to today.
“Getting some type of gift from anyone—be it from a family member or a total stranger—can make that person’s day,” she added.
The program works in getting gifts for seniors. Participants are asked to provide details—regarding something they either want or need. It could be a pair of pants, shirts, accessories, or anything else, within reason. The gift requests are written on paper “stars,” with the person’s request and specifics. Anyone who wants to contribute may purchase the star request, put them in a gift bag, and deliver them to desired locations throughout Rhode Island.
The stars can be a jumping off point. Donors have also included gift cards, perfume/cologne, soap, Q-Tips, shower caps and other treats, along with the main gift. She explained that seniors are on a fixed income, and may not have the resources or transportation to pick up those necessities.
Once the gifts were procured, Maxine and her “elves” held a “wrap event” at Waste Express, 60 Amflex Drive in Cranston, courtesy of John Souto. Members of a networking group called Seniors Rule, as well as other volunteers assisted, to process gifts.
She noted that the process for wrapping gifts this time proved to be challenging.
“We had lots of logistical challenges this year. We lost our location from last year for this wrap event. Also, we weren’t able to transport gifts from the Warwick Mall on schedule. They had to be stored at an empty location,” Hutchins said.
Several local “elves” helped save the day. Hutchins said that getting help from Robert Coogan, Jr. from R. E. Coogan Heating, Inc., and the Warwick Police Department to transport the gifts was instrumental in ensuring on-time delivery.
While they had many requests for presents, Maxine noted there were still quite a number of stars left this year to purchase, all which were taken care of by two local businesswomen, M. Gidget Grivers from Navigant Credit Union, who covered Northern RI, and Carmella Beroth, who covered the North Smithfield area.
“Thank you to everyone who hosted a tree at their businesses! Thank you to all my volunteers and everyone who attended our fundraisers,” Maxine said.
For more information about the project and how you can help, please contact Maxine Hutchins at maxiemae54@outlook.com.
