MIDDLEBURG – A local senior care company needs your help bringing Santa to its seniors this holiday season.

Home Instead Senior Care is an international care company, but Orange Park is home to the group that serves it, along with the wider Clay County region. It’s brought presents to seniors it takes care of for the past 20 years and it plans to do it once more, even in the face of COVID-19.

“It was never a question of not doing it this year,” Orange Park Home Instead owner Betsy Miller said. “It’s definitely been tougher and it’s going to be tougher, but we care about these seniors and we’re going to bring Santa to them.”

Miller took over the reins of the organization here after the previous owner sold it. The previous owner had great ties with the Clay County Adult Senior Advocacy Council, which is where they met Whitey’s Fish Camp owner, Billy Ham, who is also on the council. The relationship between Home Instead, Whitey’s Fish Camp and the generous residents of Clay County has continued through the years since then.

The program is called “Be a Santa to a Senior” and it tasks residents with first going to Whitey’s Fish Camp. There’s a Christmas tree there decorated with paper ornaments. On the ornaments are the names of seniors in the area with gift suggestions. Miller said due to COVID-19, the suggestions are more specific than usual. They feature clothes sizes on them for those that wish to buy pajamas or a new sweater, favorite football teams, favorite snacks and more.

“People pick those up, fulfill the wish list and then return here to drop the gifts off,” Ham said. “It’s such a wonderful thing to see happen every day here and we’re honored to be a part of it.”

The tree has been up since the end of November and it will remain up until Dec. 11. Ham said he loves having the tree up because he gets to see the generosity of Clay County upfront and in person.

Miller and Home Instead will collect the gifts and sort them so that “Santa” can deliver them to the proper recipient.

Miller said the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Orange Park Police Department and Clay County Fire Rescue and Orange Park Fire Department are usually some of the “Santas” who deliver gifts to the seniors this year alongside volunteers and Home Instead workers. But due to COVID-19, things will look a little differently. Fear not though – Santa’s gifts will be delivered to seniors.

Home Instead is basically a senior facilitation company. They’ll shop for seniors, bathe them, do their laundry, clean their house, transport them to somewhere they need to go, and virtually anything else they might need. We’re basically their in-home daughter or son, Miller said. Be a Santa to a Senior is an extension of that ideal.

“So many people, especially with COVID-19 happening this year, can’t be with loved ones this year so this program is about providing the love and gifts that a loved one might give them otherwise,” Miller said. “It’s not about the actual gift necessarily, although they do appreciate that, but the fact that someone is out there thinking of them during the holidays.”

A parent died last year and the child felt that void in many ways. They always looked forward to getting their parents a gift and to fill that void, they bought a gift for one of our seniors and delivered it to them. It’s a two-way thing, Miller said.

“Everyone feels good doing this because it’s such a wonderful thing,” Miller said.

The gifts will be delivered to different nursing homes and senior facilities in the area this year to keep things safe in light of the pandemic. Miller and her team of workers and volunteers are sad they won’t be able to hand deliver the gifts this year, but they are excited to see the smiles of the facility workers who will get the gifts from them and deliver them to the seniors.

“The Clay County community is the most supportive community that I’ve ever been a part of,” Miller said. “They’re so giving and so willing to help in so many ways. The success of this program would not be what it is without everyone in Clay County.”