Fayette County Senior Citizens Getting Christmas Gifts Thanks to Local Efforts

Through the generosity and graciousness of the member donations from Queen of the Holy Rosary Parish in Hostyn, Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Plum, and the efforts Meals on Wheels Rural Capital Area powered by Combined Community Action, many seniors in Fayette County will be receiving Christmas gifts this holiday season.

For almost 30 years the parishioners of the Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Hostyn, and the Sts. Peter & Paul Church in Plum, have worked together each year to bring joy, and presents, to area families and the tradition continues today. Through the generosity and graciousness of the parish donations, many area seniors will be blessed with a gift, and with the knowledge that they are not forgotten during this time, all thanks to an Angel Tree.

Angel Trees are not a new thing and have been providing clothing and toys to children each Christmas for decades in local communities. The official national program got its name in 1979 when Salvation Army Majors Charles and Shirley White identified the wishes of local children by writing their gift needs on greeting cards that featured pictures of angels. Then the cards were placed on a Christmas tree at a mall to allow shoppers to select children to help. Years later, the Whites were transferred to Nashville, Tennessee and continued the program there, eventually leading to the first Angel Tree cosponsor, a little place you might have heard of called, The Grand Ol’ Opry. After that the Angel Tree program became a national program in major cities.

Since then, the Angel Tree has expanded even further in smaller communities across the county to serve local neighbors in need. And at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church and Sts. Peter & Paul Church, the program has carried on in Fayette County. “The Angel Tree program started in 1992,” says Gina Kozelsky, “and it was in 1994 that we first partnered with Combined Community Action to get names of area families”. Each year the churches put the Angel tags on the trees and parishioners take them and purchase the requested items. They then wrap them and return them to the church where they are picked up to be distributed to seniors in Fayette County. When discussing the impact the donations make to homebound seniors, Noelia Buck says - “These gifts are truly going to light up a seniors life because they have such a deep appreciation of the smallest things. Not all of them have always lived like this, relying on the kindness and help of others, and can feel very forgotten, especially during the holidays. These gifts bring such joy, knowing that someone cares”.

Are you interested in helping seniors in Fayette County? Consider a donation to Meals on Wheels Rural Capital Area, 165 West Austin St, Giddings, Texas 78942. You can choose to make a general donation or to request that your donation goes directly to Fayette County. For more information call 979-540-2980.