BROOMFIELD, Colo. — For many older adults, especially those without family nearby, the holidays can be a lonely time. In Broomfield, a nonprofit is working to change that — one gift bag at a time.
Senior Resources of Broomfield has been running its “Adopt-A-Senior” program for the past six years, pairing community members with seniors who could use a little extra joy in December.
Teryl Fabry, the organization’s executive director, said the mission goes far beyond presents.
“We’re a nonprofit here in Broomfield that strives to help our seniors and keep them safe in their homes, and, you know, help them in any way they need, whether it’s special needs, Meals on Wheels, just anything,” Fabry said. “Isolation is a real, real, huge problem for seniors, and it’s hard for them to ask for help.”
Fabry said many participants are hesitant at first.
“They don’t want to ask for help, and they think somebody else needs the gift more than they do. We hear that a lot,” she said. “We look at it like we just want to bring a little joy to their life. It doesn’t have anything to do with how much money they have or what their status is, just you need a little bit of joy for Christmas.”
The program began during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to combat isolation. That first year, 100 seniors were matched with people in the community. This year, it’s the biggest yet — 310 seniors have been paired with volunteers, and there are even more gift-givers still waiting to be matched.
Wish lists, Fabry said, can be five or six items long — and range from the extravagant (“Some people put a Ferrari…”) to everyday necessities.
“A lot of them are just simple needs, you know, things that they use every day,” she said. “Those are the ones that just kind of break your heart, that those are the things they put on their wish list for Christmas.”
The community response has been wide-ranging — from mothers involving their children in shopping, to seniors buying for other seniors.
“The community is huge in this,” Fabry said.
Volunteers like Jill Mecham and Riley Hall say they get as much from the program as they give.
“Sometimes they’re alone and they just need to know somebody’s out there that sees them,” Mecham said. “Just getting out and learning other people’s names or seeing other people on the street and saying hi — that’s a way that you can make connections and keep a community like high up on its luck.”
For Hall, the deliveries have become a holiday fixture.
“It makes me want to keep coming back, and it’s become a part of my Christmas tradition,” Hall said.
For recipients, the impact is deeply personal. Lori Lane, who was homeless for six years, said she found it hard to ask for help at first.
“It took me a little bit, because I was always a caregiver, and then to have to be on the other side of that — it was awkward,” Lane said. “I can ask for something for me, not just something I need, but something I want.”
Karen Harmon, who initially declined to join for three years, said her first experience changed her perspective.
“What came instead was this bag of goodies that still makes me smile,” Harmon said. “It showed somebody went over and above. I would never even think of asking for the things that arrived, and it was the first such Christmas in a long time.”
For Harmon, it’s about more than what’s in the gift bag.
“Yes, we’re receiving a gift, but because it brings joy and it brings inclusiveness and community is important to me,” she said. “Most everybody in Broomfield is like that. I think it’s a better neighborhood than a lot in this area.”
As Fabry puts it: “Everybody needs a little bit of joy. It’s not selfish to want a little bit of joy.”
The 2025 gift drop-off will take place Dec. 21 and 22 at the Presbyterian Church in Broomfield. Senior Resources of Broomfield serves only local residents but encourages other cities to start similar programs.
For more information about “Adopt-A-Senior” and how to sign up for next year, visit srbBroomfield.org.
