Cove Nursing & Rehab hosting angel tree adoption

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

 

The Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is looking for people to adopt nursing home residents for the holiday season as part of their Angel Tree gift drive.

 

The Angel tree, located just inside the front lobby of the nursing home, has numbered angel ornaments with the residents’ gender and size as well as suggestions for items to buy such as pajamas, sweats, t-shirts or nice tops, perfume, cologne, body spray and costume jewelry. Buyers are encouraged to buy other items such as blankets or slippers as well, as long as they fall under the guidelines of allowed items, according to marketing and admissions coordinator Christy Kirkpatrick. 

 

There have been several residents already adopted by the First Baptist Church, the prison in Gatesville and others have offered cash donations instead of buying items, Kirkpatrick said. 

 

After selecting and signing up for an angel and purchasing the items off of the list, visitors should bring the wrapped gifts to the nursing home by December 22. The facility will be holding their Christmas party for the residents on December 23, where residents will eat and drink and listen to music and open gifts passed out by Santa with help from the staff. 

 

There are some residents who do not have family members to buy them gifts, or if they do have family members, they still may not get a present. The focus during the holiday season tends to be on toy drives or angel trees for children, and the elderly tend to get swept under the rug, Kirkpatrick said. 

 

“We try to make sure that every resident has something to open at Christmas time and try to make sure that it’s fair for everybody and evenly distributed,” Kirkpatrick said. 

 

Last year, every resident was adopted very early on, with each resident getting three or four presents to open, Kirkpatrick said. 

 

Kirkpatrick is hoping for a similar turnout this year and said that several people from last year reached out this year to adopt a resident again. If there are residents who don’t get adopted or arrive at the nursing home later on, staff at the nursing center pitch in to help make up the difference, Kirkpatrick said. 

 

In addition to the angel tree, Kirkpatrick said that there will also be a donation box set up for a food drive for the Copperas Cove Soup Kitchen, for employees or visitors to drop off non-perishable items. 

 

“That’s kind of our way to give back to the community as the community gives to us,” Kirkpatrick said.

 

There are currently around 18 of 85 residents that have been adopted at Copperas Cove Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which is located at 607 W. Avenue B. Visiting hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

 

For more information, contact Christy Kirkpatrick at (254) 518-8408 or Maria Ortiz at (254) 518-8411.

 

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