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Elder Elf Program Supports Area Seniors During The Holidays

Ronn Aldaman via Flickr

Tallahassee’s Elder Care Services works to assist local seniors year round, and with the holiday season fast approaching, they’ve got one other trick up their stocking.  The Elder Elf program helps meet the basic household needs of area seniors.

Many people are familiar with Meals on Wheels.  It’s probably Elder Care Service’s most visible program.  But organization president Mark Blandino says that’s just one of his group’s offerings.  It also runs a food bank, an elderly daycare program near Lake Ella, and one-on-one case management for people who need assistance getting benefits. 

“I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” Blandino says, “but we always need help and we always need support from the community.”

For the holidays, Elder Care is running a program connecting Tallahassee residents and area seniors to provide basic household necessities.  Spokeswoman Amber Tynan says they’re looking for things like towels, brooms, and toiletries.

“We typically have about 140 seniors who are available to adopt and we never usually have an issue fulfilling their wishlists,” Tynan says.

Tynan says participants can even come along with Elder Care Services to help deliver the items to seniors’ homes.  Further information can be found on their website.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.