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.
The tables were arranged in a big square, with open space in the middle. This allowed the wheelchairs to circle on the outside and volunteers to restock and assist from the inside.
When the doors opened, more volunteers guided residents around the heavily laden gift tables to pick out just the right gift for their children, grandchildren and anyone else on their list. If they didn’t have anyone else to “buy” for, the residents were able to take a couple of items for themselves.
Once the residents made their selection, yet another group of volunteers wrapped the gifts and wrote out Christmas cards.
Still more volunteers worked behind the scenes to stuff gift bag “stockings” with personal care items and small gifts for each of the residents. The stockings would be given out later that afternoon at the Vets’ Home Christmas party.
I started out in the middle section doing my best Vanna White impersonation and restocking as needed. It was a lot of fun helping people pick out the perfect gift.
I did take my turn pushing one of the wheelchair-bound residents around the table, a gentleman named Bruce. It wasn’t a chair really, but more of a tank. With no power steering.
It was rather quickly determined that I needed a remedial lesson before I’d be allowed to take any one else for a “spin.” And suggested that, for my own safety and the safety of others, I remain behind the tables for the duration of the event.
About 110 residents went through the line before we closed up shop shortly before noon. But even those who weren’t able to leave their rooms had a chance to pick out gifts. Staff and volunteers loaded hundreds of items on to carts to be brought around to each cottage after the afternoon’s party.
As a reward for helping to make the annual event happen, the American Legion Post in Oxford provided lunch for the 80 plus volunteers after the event.B]V