The Office For the Aging is preparing holiday gift bags to give to solitary seniors.

The Office For the Aging (OFA) in Chautauqua County, New York is preparing for its annual Christmas gift bag campaign.

Holiday Bags for Solitary Seniors, as the scheme is called, is a project run by OFA staff and community members and aims to give presents to residents who otherwise would receive nothing over the festive season.

Staff and volunteers are currently assembling gift bags filled with treats, non-perishable food, small presents and personal care items and will be delivering them to senior citizens in the days leading up to Christmas.

The scheme will also see entire Christmas dinners brought to seniors, thanks to generous contributions from local churches, residents and organisations, Observer Today reports.

It initially began in 2004 when Heidi Harding, from the Elder Abuse Prevention Program, teamed up with current senior services coordinator, Kate Finch.

At first, Christmas dinners were held, but it soon became apparent that elderly people enjoyed staying in their own homes.

"We decided to bring Christmas to them, along with some goodies and treats and specially-picked items," Ms Finch told the newspaper.

After donations are received, volunteers work long hours counting items and packing the bags up so that they are ready to be given to the elderly people.

They work as hard as possible to make sure each bag contains an equal amount of presents, so that nobody is disappointed.

Not that this has happened, as organisers claim the recipients are usually overwhelmed with the kind of gifts and heartfelt cards they receive.

One lot of gifts which always receives a warm reaction are the knitted scarves, hats, mittens, shawls and blankets donated from local community groups every year.

Organisers have asked locals keen to get involved to search through their cupboards for non-perishable foods and unused toiletries and gifts that could be given to one of the elderly recipients.

The OFA is also searching for more bag packers, drivers and delivery people to help make this project an even bigger success.

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