Pictured Above Are Some of Coastline's Employees Enjoying the Holidays

COASTLINE REACHES OUT TO ELDERS DURING HOLIDAY SEASON & ALL YEAR ROUND

by Abrah J. Salk

Families gather, presents are exchanged, the fireplace is lit, and wonderful smells wafer in from the kitchen. This is the vision that most conjure up in their minds when thinking about the winter holidays. However, there are many elders whose holidays are a lot grimmer. They might not have family or friends around, they might not have the money nor resources for presents or even food. Many spend the days and evenings cold and alone. So in the spirit of the season the community along with Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. reaches out to lend some helping hands.

Coastline helped brighten up the holiday season for many elders. The season was kicked off with the Annual Thanksgiving Day dinner held at Dartmouth Senior Center where 75 diners participated in the festivities. In addition, Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels were delivered to 600 elderly, 400 DSS families, and 15 HIV/AIDS patients. Yellow Cab, a local church, as well as a host of other charities assisted Coastline in this endeavor.

For the past several years, Titliest has adopted Coastline and our clients for their holiday charity. Coastline's case managers, protective workers and nurses submit the needs of their combined 25 most needy clients to Titleist. The employees at Titleist fill those needs. In the past these needs have included clothing, bedding, and even microwaves.

Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. has a very similar in-house program during the holidays. We have the Coastline Giving Tree. Again, case managers, nurses, and protective workers submit their requests by adding an "ornament" to our Christmas tree that contains a particular elder's needs. Any employee at Coastline may pick an ornament and anonymously fulfill it. The employee purchases the gift, wraps it up, and leaves it under the tree with the original ornament attached so that the case manager knows it's for their client. The presents are delivered a week or two before Christmas.

The Donaghy-Hathaway Funeral home and The Fairhaven Funeral Home along with local radio station WBSM sponsored "Share the Warmth" program for the 6th consecutive year. Along with making donations themselves, the funeral homes, the radio station, and the community collect new articles of warm clothing and donate them to Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. The funeral homes serve as the drop off points for donations of warm clothing. All the donations are then brought to Coastline for distribution to needy seniors.

Every year on Christmas Day, the Greater New Bedford Jewish Federation along with the aid of Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. and the New Bedford Council on Aging make Christmas dinner for the elderly. This year the sit down dinner was held at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Hall. Nearly 200 people attended, and 170 Christmas Meals on Wheels were delivered. In addition to the meals, every year bags filled with a variety of fruit, blankets and other amenities are given out to those who attend the dinner or delivered to the Meals on Wheels recipients.

During this holiday season, the Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical School's National Honor Society donated Stop & Shop gift cards to Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. These gift cards will be given out to our clients as needed, throughout the year.

Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. understands that there is a need for food, staples, care, and camaraderie for elders not just during the holidays, but all year round. Coastline continuously reaches out and helps the elders of our community and surrounding communities. Through our many programs and services Coastline makes a difference in many lives. For more information about Coastline's services please call 1-508-999-6400 or email us at information@coastlineelderly.org