Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Home Hardware and Highway 2 Fas Gas at McLennan are teaming up to ensure seniors’ Christmases are a little brighter.
Owner Marilynne Brulotte says this is the third year the stores have held an Adopt-a-Senior to ensure everyone has a little gift during the holidays.
“I believe that our seniors are the most important people in our communities, and when COVID happened, it was so sad that they had no contact with the public,” says Brulotte.
“I think it is very important for our communities to realize that some seniors do not have any family to fill the void and they get very lonely,” she adds.
Brulotte says this year they’ve decided to expand their Adopt-a-Senior to include the seniors’ apartments in Girouxville, Falher and Donnelly. Up until this year, they’ve taken care of all the seniors’ homes in McLennan.
“We decided that we would expand as we just thought it was the right thing to do,” she says.
“We will start collection once I have all the information, volunteers need time to visit and ask the seniors what they may want or need.”
She is hoping to start the Adopt-a-Senior campaign in October, with all gifts collected by Dec. 8. It will allow her team enough time to disperse the presents to each apartment complex in time for Christmas.
“We will not include the Villa Beausejour, as I was told they do their own thing similar to this,” she explains.
“We also do not take names for people outside the senior living, as it would be too much to control who qualifies.”
If you are interested in helping to make a senior’s Christmas more cheerful, visit either store in McLennan to pick a random card from the Christmas tree. A $30 limit has been set, and Brulotte says most people ask for things like slippers, pyjamas, books, crafts, games, and candy.
As of publication, Brulotte says they think there will be a total of 125 seniors who will need to be purchase for. They ask gifts are not wrapped but put into gift bags as it is easier to hand out to the residents when the time comes.
If you are interested in adopting a senior, drop in to Home Hardware or Fas Gas in McLennan starting mid-October.