The holiday season is often seen as the time for giving to our loved ones. It is also a season to give back to the community, especially those in great need. To some, it can be difficult to find the best way to give back to those in need.

Here at DuPage Senior Citizens Council and Kane Senior Council, there are various opportunities to give back to local seniors, whether it is donating monetarily, lending a hand in providing for seniors’ companions or giving your time as a volunteer.

Giving Support for Seniors

The holidays are often a time when seniors need our services the most. Annually, we serve 7,000 seniors between both DuPage and Kane counties. As a non-profit organization, our services are heavily supported by donations. 80% of every dollar goes directly to our services that support seniors. No amount donated is too large or too small. Donations can be one-time or can be set up as recurring donations if you wish to continue to give regularly.

If you would like to donate to our organization to help seniors in DuPage and Kane counties, click here to donate to our Holiday Appeal.

Giving to Senior Pet Owners

Giving back to people in your community can be as simple as helping them provide for their loved ones. Many of the seniors we serve have pets as their only companions and may struggle to provide for them. This sometimes leads to seniors giving their much-needed home-delivered meals to their pets instead of eating them themselves.

To prevent this, DSCC aims to help these seniors provide for their companions through the Pet Food & Assistance program. This holiday season, you can help by contributing to our partner, Lombard Veterinary Hospital’s Giving With a Thankful Heart campaign, where they collect pet food and supplies from generous people in their community and distribute what was collected to our Pet Food & Assistance program.

This year, items are being collected by both Lombard Veterinary Hospital at 1300 S Main St. Lombard, IL 60148 and Villa Park Veterinary Hospital located at 31 St Charles Rd, Villa Park IL, 60181. Items often needed by seniors include small bags of dry cat and dog food, wet dog and cat food, treats for dogs and cats, and kitty litter. Visit www.LombardVet.com and www.VillaParkVet.com for more information or check out both organizations on social media to see updates for the pet food drive.

Giving Connections

Giving back to people in your community can be as simple as giving your time. While we are able to spend time with our loved ones, many of our seniors are isolated and don’t get to see many people during this normally joyous season. This is where our volunteers play a big role in boosting the spirits of seniors. Whether you are the person delivering a meal to their door or a friendly voice over the phone, being a volunteer at DSCC and KSC means being a dependable figure in the lives of our seniors. We offer various volunteer opportunities for seniors during the holidays, including Social Connection service volunteers, Meals on Wheels delivery volunteers, and more.

If you wish to give your time as a volunteer for the holidays, visit www.dupageseniorcouncil.org/volunteering or www.kaneseniorcouncil.org/get-involved/

No matter how you decide to give back this holiday season, we greatly appreciate the support from the people in our community. We hope everyone has a fun, safe, and healthy holiday season.