Awesome Mommies of El Paso planning stocking-stuffers surprise for senior center
EL PASO, Texas - Wendy Valenzuela, who is a moderator on the Awesome Mommies of El Paso group, is planning a big surprise for over 70 seniors at a senior center here in El Paso. She asked ABC-7 to not disclose the name of the center so it will truly be a surprise for those who are part of the center. She, along with a few other moms are gathering together stockings and stocking stuffers to give out to the oldest members of our community, and they are looking for donations.
“Yes were basically collecting stockings and I’ll be collecting donations individually so its not too hard on anyone's pockets,” Valenzuela said.
Holiday socks, masks, mittens, lotion, hand sanitizers, sugar free candy, and more are what the moms are planning to put in each stocking. They want to make sure each stocking is identical, so no one feels left out. Seniors can be forgotten during the holidays, so that is why Valenzuela undertook this task.
"This particular population that I decided to address is... just most people decide to focus Christmas - which is fine - on our loved ones, the ones we see every day, especially our children. But a lot of people forget about the people who brought us Christmas joy, [and they] are being forgotten at this time.”
Valenzuela's message to anyone who knows an older member of society, whether it be a family member, friend, or neighbor, is to make an attempt to simply say "hi" this holiday season. Many members of the older generation do not get social interaction from day to day, and a simple hello could make their day - it doesn't have to be a material gift.
Valenzuela and the other moms are excited to see the reactions of the seniors.
"A lot of these people don’t get to see their families, which is why they’re at a center like that. So having strangers just showing up with some goodies, that’s going to be super exciting to look at their faces. You know they are so full of gratitude because they don’t have interactions like that. This is going to be super magical,” Valenzuela explained.
If you would like to donate to help out Valenzuela and the other moms with stocking stuffers, you can click on this link which will take you to the All About Our Kids Facebook page.
