The Roanoker - November/December 2018 - 89

' T I S T HE SE A S O N

for an Open Heart and a Giving Spirit!
This holiday season, consider sharing your generosity
with these Roanoke-based nonprofit organizations.
Contact information provided below.

Angel Tree Giving Campaign
Share your generosity with the children at the Boys &
Girls Clubs of Southwest VA by donating a gift to the
Club kids in this season of giving!
bgcswva.org/donate/other-ways-to-give/
angel-tree-holiday-giving/
540-904-7401
Libby Dembski, ldembski@bgcswva.org

Katie's Place Community Day Program
Katie's Place aims to improve the lives of adults with
intellectual and developmental disabilities in the
Roanoke area. Consider either volunteering at one of the
two Katie's Place locations, or by providing items such
as craft and office supplies or healthy snacks.
katiesplacedaysupport.org
Roanoke Location: 540-947-2777
Lynchburg Location: 434-525-4790
Heather Hicks
heather.hicks@svhservices.org

by the homelessness in downtown Roanoke,
wanted to find an unfilled niche.
Rather than just giving a few dollars here
and there and knowing that food and clothing
banks already existed, he decided to put
together travel-size hygiene products in quartsize bags. These items may be purposefully used
to freshen up at the local Y or shelter location
or even to help prepare an individual for a
potential job interview.
Blessing Bags works with several other
organizations who locate and distribute the
bags to the homeless. This program has been
so successful in Southwest Virginia that
Joshua has been contacted by many other
organizations outside our area to start Blessing
Bag programs in their respective area. His
program even supplied four hundred bags to
the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico last year.
Asked about ways people can help, Joshua
says, "We're working to expand and would like
help financially to provide a storefront to house
donated items, prepare the bags and provide a
place to drop off donations easily. Our current
goal is to secure the program and expand."
Contact information: Joshua Gabrielson at
questions@blessingbag.net or visit blessingbag.
net for more information.

COURTESY OF JOSHUA GABRIELSON

BE A SANTA TO A SENIOR, BRIGHTEN
THE HOLIDAYS FOR SENIORS started in

2004 by the local Home Instead Senior Care,
a company devoted to meeting the needs
of an aging population, the Be a Santa to a
Senior program focuses on adults, age 65
plus, throughout the Roanoke Valley who
TheRoanoker.com

Mrs. Dorsey's Clothes Closet Coat Drive
This winter won't be easy for people in need of warm
coats. Mrs. Dorsey's Clothes Closet in Salem is looking
for coat donations this year, so think about giving away
your old winter coat to those in need of warmth.
facebook.com/mdccsv
540-389-4889
SARA Roanoke
SARA Roanoke offers counseling, advocacy, support
and educational workshops to survivors of sexual
violence in the Roanoke area. Help by giving pocket
notebooks, journals, sports bras and more this season.
sararoanoke.org
540-354-7273
Teresa Berry
tberry@sararoanoke.org
Extend your Holiday Spirit to Animals This Season!
Animals in the area are also in need this winter, so
consider helping out one of the following organizations!
Angels of Assisi
Angels of Assisi, the largest public animal welfare
organization in the Roanoke area, is always in need
of contributions in the form of dog and cat food and
supplies.
angelsofassisi.org
540-344-8707
angels@angelsofassisi.org

may be needy or lonely around the holiday
times. Seniors are identified by Home Instead
representatives who collaborate with the local
Agencies on Aging, retirement communities
and social service agencies. Recipients complete
an application where they may choose two
items from a long wish list. Then Santa's Elves
provide a visit and Christmas gifts to brighten
the holiday season.
Speaking to Doretha, 76, a past recipient of
the program, says, "It's a really good program
and I've received some really nice gifts such as
towel sets, beautiful silk pajamas and a jogging
suit. At this age, people forget us sometimes."
She enjoys inviting in "Santa's Elves" for a
visit to show family pictures, especially a photo
of her grandson, whom she is particularly
proud of for his naval service. "I enjoy them
all (Santa's Elves) and look forward to this
Christmas!"

Roanoke Valley Horse Rescue
Consider giving bags of feed, money for hay or
dropping off aluminum cans to the Horse Rescue to
improve the lives of abused and neglected horses in
the area.
rvhr.com/wordpress
540-721-1910
Brienna Shapiro
info@rvhr.com
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Think about donating items such as pet toys, cleaning
supplies and pet food to the RVSPCA, which aims to
help homeless cats and dogs in the Valley.
rvspca.org
540-339-9247
Amanda Charsha-Lindsey
alindsey@rvspca.org
Saint Francis Service Dogs
This organization aims to place service dogs with
people with disabilities in the Roanoke area. To help,
think about donating dog treats, toys and supplies this
season.
saintfrancisdogs.org
540-342-3647
Niki Voudren
nvoudren@saintfrancisdogs.org
-EMMA GROSSKOPF

There are various ways to be involved.
Information is online, easy to use and just a
click away. Options include taking a tag from
a public tree location and purchasing gifts,
volunteering in the distribution center and/or
delivering presents and joining Santa's Rescue
Squad to purchase additional gifts for those
tags not returned with gifts.
Liz Shelton, this year's organizer for the
program, says, "Home Instead is always on
the lookout for companies to sponsor a tree
and to partner with them" in this heartwarming
initiative.
Contact Information: Liz Shelton at 540281-2257 or visitbeasantatoasenior.com for more
information.
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
May the new year bring hope, peace and
community to all. I
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

http://www.facebook.com/mdccsv http://www.rvhr.com/wordpress http://www.sararoanoke.org http://www.bgcswva.org/donate/other-ways-to-give/ http://www.rvspca.org http://www.saintfrancisdogs.org http://www.katiesplacedaysupport.org http://www.angelsofassisi.org http://www.visitbeasantatoasenior.com http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker - November/December 2018

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