Christmas elves visit local nursing home

By Dan Marois

Feature Writer / Photographer

It was about eight years ago that a few employees in the food services department of a local hospital decided that residents at a local nursing home would each enjoy receiving a gift at Christmas.

The employees, affectionately called the Christmas elves, work in the food service department at St. Mary’s Health System which was previously known as Campus Cuisine.

“We started out thinking that we would put together gifts for one unit at the nursing home,” said Rose Dulac, a baker, who with former employee, Sandy Lamontagne launched the gift-giving idea. “We realized that to really make an impact, we should do it for every resident at the nursing home.”

The nursing home is d’Youville Pavilion, the state’s largest nursing home, on the St. Mary’s Campus with 210 beds.

Debbie Pelletier, a cook, and Diane Cloutier, a food preparation employee, joined Dulac in the effort to make Christmas special for the residents.

“We discovered that it was a lot more work than we expected — a ton of work,” said Dulac. “But it has been exciting and rewarding.”

On their time away from work, the employees organized fundraising efforts to purchase gifts for residents. And it hasn’t been only one gift. Each resident receives a gift bag overflowing with an assortment of items.

There are toiletries and personal items, gifts often appreciated by residents. There’s also a fleece blanket, sweatshirts or pants, gift certificates for hair dressing services, and other small items gathered through the year.

“We’ve given hearing aid batteries for folks who can’t afford them,” said Dulac. They even try to include personal favorites when it comes to choices for candy or perfume.

Other popular gifts have included frames for photos and nickels for residents to play beano. A fellow employee, Rejeanne Bosse, actually created a bell necklace for each resident.

The gifts are distributed at the Christmas family dinner about a week before Christmas day. There’s joy in the air and some very touching moments when the year-long effort is celebrated with the residents.

“One resident was in tears when she received the gifts,” said Dulac, noting that the person has no living relatives to visit at Christmas. “She told me that when she came to the nursing home she thought she would never receive another Christmas present.”

Another resident, a gentleman with Alzheimer’s, was fascinated when he received a fleece blanket. After touching the fleece for a moment, he turned to his wife and asked, “What color is this?” The wife became very emotional when asked the question and a staff member asked if she was okay.

“Yes, I am,” she replied. “(You see) this is the first time he’s spoken a word in over six months.”

For Pelletier who described herself as shy and not outgoing, the Christmas project has brought her much joy. “It is great to hand out gifts,” she said. “It brings me out of my shell.”

Cloutier appreciates the positive response from residents many of whom describe the gifts they receive as “beautiful.”

This year, the three original elves are passing on the Christmas project duties to Kathy Remillard, a volunteer at d’Youville Pavilion. They’ve assisted her in organizing the details and keeping the effort alive for the residents.

“I work with all the residents and really get to know them,” said Remillard, who takes the extra time to learn about their personal tastes and preferences. She says that her personal Christmas gift giving is limited to her grandchildren and her father which gives her the time she needs to shop and gift wrap for the d’Youville residents.

Remillard has set Tuesday, Dec. 10, as the deadline to have everything ready for the annual event.

“If I don’t have everything by then, I’ll start to panic,” said Remillard.

With guidance from the experienced elves, Remillard will no doubt create another memorable Christmas for those that call d’Youville Pavilion their home.