Montgomery’s Sharing Tree Coordinator Eileen Segna wants everyone to know they are more than just offering gifts during the holidays, although it’s a big part of their efforts, and that everything given goes directly back to our community.
“This year I think we had 129 (Sharing Tree) tags and there was 19 left over, so we went last Saturday to buy gifts for those 19 people. So, tomorrow when we deliver, everyone will have gifts that otherwise would have been left out,” said Segna.
Segna didn’t want to see it go away when others were leaving the group so she said she took it over. They use Aging Services for Communities in Montgomery as their fiscal agent.
“It was meant to be something that brightened people’s day,” said Segna. “I want people to be happy to get something on Christmas. I’m more of a giver than a taker.”
The Boy Scouts gathered the gifts that were purchased for this holiday season on Thursday, Dec. 18, during the winter storm to deliver them. As a token of gratitude, they were rewarded with a small donation to their club.
“It (Sharing Tree) started out to be for nursing homes and the facilities for the elderly, just because you know it’s kind of their last stop, and a lot of those people if they don’t have relatives, they’re kind of down in the dumps at the holiday season,” said Segna. “But, when we started getting donations, we decided to give to other people, not just the elderly.”
Whether you donated physical goods or monetary, those donations went back directly to places of need in the community. Segna says in the past they have paid off people’s utility bills at the city who couldn’t afford them, purchased supplies for the ambulance crew, donated money to those who have cancer, and of the like.
“This year I think we are going to focus more on the school for kids,” said Segna. “There are truly a lot of sports and things for kids that they truly can’t afford it. Money’s tight.”
If you’d like to donate to the Montgomery Sharing Tree, you can contact Aging Services for Communities at 507-364-5663 or get in touch with Segna at 678-471-3976 or eileensegna@gmail.com.