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Date: 1/31/2023
LUDLOW – The Ludlow CARES Coalition will be shifting their focus from the youth in the community to senior citizens on Feb. 9 when they will be handing out Valentine’s Day gift bags for free at the Senior Center.
Ludlow CARES is a volunteer organization united in providing education, support and awareness to promote the health and well-being of the community, especially the youth.
For the third year in a row, Ludlow CARES volunteers will be putting together approximately 300 gift bags to hand out to senior citizens in the community.
“After the [coronavirus] pandemic, we felt there was a part of our community that was isolated more than others and probably deserved a little extra touch,” Ludlow CARES Advisory Board member Peter Leonczyk said.
On Feb. 9, Ludlow CARES volunteers will be delivering the Valentine’s Day gift bags at Ludlow Senior Center during lunch.
“We will be hand delivering them to everyone who can make it to lunch and the idea is just a way to spread some cheer and lift some spirits,” Leonczyk said.
For anyone who does not make the lunch, Leonczyk said they are about 50 to 60 senior citizens that Ludlow CARES will be delivering to their doorstep as well as leaving some bags with the Take & Eat program.
Ludlow CARES partnered with the Ludlow Senior Center, the Ludlow Board of Health and the Take & Eat program at Our Lady of Fatima Parish.
The Take & Eat program is a weekly delivery food service that the church sponsors.
In February 2021, Ludlow CARES made the gift bags and had volunteers deliver around 300 bags to the senior citizens in town.
Leonczyk said Ludlow CARES made of list with the help of their partnerships to help identify those senior citizens who were most isolated.
In February 2022, the Senior Center had a drive-thru lunch pickup and Ludlow CARES picked one of those days to also hand out the Valentine’s Day themed bag.
Leonczyk added, “It has been a success so far and a nice thinking of you gesture.”
The Valentine’s Day themed bags will include chocolate, socks, a coffee mug and information about the Board of Health and Ludlow CARES.
Ludlow CARES also partners with the Ludlow Boys and Girls Club who provide the coalition with 500 handwritten Valentine’s Day cards from the kids to also include in the gift bags.
“This is not a branding scheme or marketing material but just a way to let people who may not know about us gain useful resources and show how much people care,” Leonczyk said.
He continued, “We think this is something easy to continue and continues to make an impact. CARES host plenty of different events that focus on different campaigns, but this is more of a kind gesture that we like doing and get a lot out of.”