Throughout the month of December, Evening Sun Staff members will be visiting various charitable and non-profit agencies in Chenango County to offer a helping hand to “Deliver Christmas.”
By Melissa Stagnaro
Sun Staff Writer
mstagnaro@evesun.com
I love buying and wrapping gifts for my family and friends. It is by far my favorite part of the holiday season, and I know I’m not alone. Unfortunately, some people, like many of the residents at the New York State Veterans’ Home in Oxford, just can’t physically get out to go shopping for presents.
That is where the family of organizations which make up the American Legion and the Vets’ Home’s Volunteer Guild come in. Each year they bring Christmas to the Vets’ Home’s 200-plus residents, and they enlist a crew of volunteers from Chenango, Broome and other neighboring counties to do it.
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, I joined the sizable group of volunteers as they set out thousands of gift items for the residents. Some were purchased by the organizations, others were donated. There was something for every age group, every interest and in every color and size. There was definitely a little bit of oohing and aahing as we laid everything out.
