Mobile Christmas Store allows Barry County nursing home residents to give gifts to loved ones
November 20, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
With Christmas fast-approaching, the spirit of giving is in the air. While many in the area are served by some form of charity or another during this season if its needed, one group is working hard to ensure that an often overlooked group gets everything they need out of the holiday.
The Dream Team, a volunteer group associated with Hospice Compassus of Monett, has been working since 2010 to bring the joy of Christmas to nursing home communities all across Barry County.
According to Brenda Smith, volunteer organizer for the Dream Team, the team’s initial goal is to provide patients with end-of-life fulfillment. Right now, the Dream Team is in the process of organizing their annual Mobile Christmas Store.
“The Dream Team was created to help people with life-limiting illnesses be able to have one last wish granted,” explained Smith. “We have volunteers who work on this. We fund raise for it. This store is part of the effort to help them achieve that goal.”
According to Smith, the store travels from nursing home to nursing home giving residents a chance to select Christmas presents for their family.
She said, “We take donations all year from private individuals, including banks, stores and corporations, like Walmart. We take money or gifts and store them here in the office until November. Then, the volunteers will sort them out between the facilities. Then, we schedule the stores with the facilities' activities directors. From there, we go down there and set up. We let every resident get three to five gifts, depending on how much we have. We have a wrapping station there for them, too.”
These presents will enable residents to provide much-appreciated Christmas gifts for their families. A big part of the joy of the holiday season is being able to gift loved ones gifts.
“Seniors don’t always get a lot of attention,” explained Smith. “Sometimes they get forgotten about. This is a way to give people who are in nursing facilities a chance to give back to their families and have the joy of giving during the holiday season,” Smith shared.
This year, the store will travel to three different area care facilities to provide store services. These include: Benton View Park, in Monett, on Thursday, December 5; Aurora Nursing Center, Monday, December 9; and finally, Cassville Health and Rehab on Friday, December 13.
The Mobile Christmas Store will also feature on-site gift-wrapping stations will be staffed with volunteers from local churches and scout troops who will be on site to wrap presents after they are selected by residents.
Smith went on to explain that donations for the Mobile Christmas Store are still open to the public and private entities. The store accepts all donations of new, in-package gifts. The store also accepts bulk and close-out sale donations from local businesses.
To donate to the Mobile Christmas Store, simply take your donation to the Hospice Compassus location at 845 Hwy 60, Suite A in Monett.
For any questions, or to schedule a pick-up for large or bulk items, contact Brenda Smith at (417) 235-9097.
Vinnie Roberts
With Christmas fast-approaching, the spirit of giving is in the air. While many in the area are served by some form of charity or another during this season if its needed, one group is working hard to ensure that an often overlooked group gets everything they need out of the holiday.
The Dream Team, a volunteer group associated with Hospice Compassus of Monett, has been working since 2010 to bring the joy of Christmas to nursing home communities all across Barry County.
According to Brenda Smith, volunteer organizer for the Dream Team, the team’s initial goal is to provide patients with end-of-life fulfillment. Right now, the Dream Team is in the process of organizing their annual Mobile Christmas Store.
“The Dream Team was created to help people with life-limiting illnesses be able to have one last wish granted,” explained Smith. “We have volunteers who work on this. We fund raise for it. This store is part of the effort to help them achieve that goal.”
According to Smith, the store travels from nursing home to nursing home giving residents a chance to select Christmas presents for their family.
She said, “We take donations all year from private individuals, including banks, stores and corporations, like Walmart. We take money or gifts and store them here in the office until November. Then, the volunteers will sort them out between the facilities. Then, we schedule the stores with the facilities' activities directors. From there, we go down there and set up. We let every resident get three to five gifts, depending on how much we have. We have a wrapping station there for them, too.”
These presents will enable residents to provide much-appreciated Christmas gifts for their families. A big part of the joy of the holiday season is being able to gift loved ones gifts.
“Seniors don’t always get a lot of attention,” explained Smith. “Sometimes they get forgotten about. This is a way to give people who are in nursing facilities a chance to give back to their families and have the joy of giving during the holiday season,” Smith shared.
This year, the store will travel to three different area care facilities to provide store services. These include: Benton View Park, in Monett, on Thursday, December 5; Aurora Nursing Center, Monday, December 9; and finally, Cassville Health and Rehab on Friday, December 13.
The Mobile Christmas Store will also feature on-site gift-wrapping stations will be staffed with volunteers from local churches and scout troops who will be on site to wrap presents after they are selected by residents.
Smith went on to explain that donations for the Mobile Christmas Store are still open to the public and private entities. The store accepts all donations of new, in-package gifts. The store also accepts bulk and close-out sale donations from local businesses.
To donate to the Mobile Christmas Store, simply take your donation to the Hospice Compassus location at 845 Hwy 60, Suite A in Monett.
For any questions, or to schedule a pick-up for large or bulk items, contact Brenda Smith at (417) 235-9097.
