Center stuffs stockings for cancer
LYNDORA — Although Thanksgiving and all things turkey are on the horizon, Rose Slupe tucked a variety of gifts into a Christmas stocking.
“We loved it,” said Slupe, a Butler Senior Center attendee. “It's amazing.”
Mrs. Claus visited the Butler Senior Center located inside the Tanglewood Center, 10 Austin Ave., recently ahead of the Christmas holiday to assist seniors with the collections they gathered for their Christmas service project benefiting Hang Tough: Stockings with Love & Care for Cancer Patients.
Each of the Butler County senior centers participates in a different service project for the holidays.
The Slippery Rock Senior Center is adopting the Feed My Sheep Food Cupboard for Thanksgiving and Christmas, said manager Beth Campbell. Nonperishable canned food are being collected through mid-December for Christmas.
At the Butler Senior Center, handmade pillows, socks and mittens were stuffed into 27 red and green holiday stockings for its project.
“I hope they feel a little lift from their ailment,” Slupe said about the stocking recipients.
Slupe was the driving force behind the idea for this year's service project at the center, she said.
“We're excited that senior center came onboard because it gives everybody a chance to participate,” said Sharon “Mrs. Claus” Schneider, organizer of Hang Tough: Stockings with Love & Care for Cancer Patients.
Many organizations and businesses have made collecting a service project, she said.
“I love it, the more the merrier,” Schneider said about the organizations collecting for the cause. “The more stockings we gather up, the more we can take care of our community members.”
The program is one Butler health facilities have grown to enjoy, she said.“We have built a reputation of bringing smiles and cheers to the patients for a little while,” Schneider said. “When we hand these out, it's like Christmas.”Typically, organizations provide their own stockings, However, in instances where Schneider provides the stockings to organizations, it allows more stockings to be gifted, she said.For over five years, Schneider has dressed as Mrs. Claus to make appearances and pop up at many Christmas parties for the collecting organizations to help stuff the stockings, she said. For over 10 years, she has portrayed Mrs. Claus at community functions and different schools.“I get a lot of eyes when I'm driving, I drive like this,” she said, laughing. “There's always something going on in the community to help get these stockings stuffed.”This year's goal is to collect 1,750 stockings, up from last year's 1,505 stockings, she said. They are delivered Dec. 9.Her team of elves checks to ensure each stocking is packed full, she said. Also, the elves, some of which are cancer survivors, hand out the stockings.The stockings made by the seniors will combine with the joint effort made by the community, she said. This makes sure that when the stockings are delivered that people going through cancer treatment will have a different stocking than the person next to them, she said.“They're like kids opening up their stocking,” she said. “It's the greatest feeling when you're out there and see that.“While they're fighting, we're bringing a smile to them.”
Hang Tough: Stockings with Love & Care for Cancer Patients seeks the following suggested items. Donations will be collected from through Dec. 4:Empty stockings, Chapstick, Christmas cards, candy, gum, cookies, dried fruit, gift cards, gloves, hand lotion, tissues and wet wipes.Stuffed animals, small blankets, tea bags, hot chocolate, stamps, trail mix, puzzle books, granola barsPeanuts and snacks, pens and pencils, magazines and books, small journals, slipper socksFOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit hangtoughstockings.wixsite.com/hangtough
Drop stockings or items off at the following locations:- Robert Stephens Custom Jewelers, 141 N. Main St. #1- Whispering Winds Boarding Kennel, 826 Whitestown Road- Headlines of Hair Concepts, 640 Evans City Road- Pa. State Rep. Marci Mustello's office, 100 Barracks Road at Kerven Building- Butler Area Catholic Parishes, 125 Buttercup Road- Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham LLP, 128 W. Cunningham St.- Accurate Solutions Group LLC, 205 Eberhart Road- Meridian Presbyterian Church, 4150 Highland Avenue- Jazzercise Butler Fitness Center, 125 Pittsburgh Road- Butler Twp. Vol. Fire District Station 3, 121 Sparks Avenue- Valencia Donut Company, 1177 Pittsburgh Road, Valencia- Dollar Bank, 150 Point Plaza- Family Bowlaway Fun Center, 450 Fairground Hill Road- Local Motion Hair Design, 4138 Highland Avenue- NexTier Bank, any location- Kings Family Restaurant, 191 New Castle Road- Double Image Styling Salon, 140 Bon Aire Plaza
