Residents of nursing homes in Łódź wrote letters to Saint. Santa Claus and they don’t ask for expensive things. The former Home Army soldier dreams only of new bedding and aftershave, while other charges dream of slippers, a sweater, a tracksuit or simply crossword puzzles.
As Christmas approaches, those absent are missed. – I always spent Christmas with my grandma and uncle, my uncle is also dead, my mom is dead. So I feel very sad – says Mrs. Dorota, a resident of Social Welfare Home No. 5 in Łódź.
To make it a little happier, people of good will asked Mrs. Dorota and other residents of the nursing homes in Łódź to write letters to Santa Claus. – I wrote about a tracksuit, a quartz watch and shoes – says Mrs. Dorota. – About cosmetics, because I am a crossword maniac, about crosswords, about books – says Mrs. Barbara, a resident of the “Rudzka” Social Welfare Home in Łódź.
Mr. Jan asked for socks, as well as a set of plates and coffee cups. – Maybe guests or invite someone to have something to serve – says a resident of Social Welfare Home No. 5 in Łódź. Mr. Sławomir, on the other hand, dreams of sweets, but there is something more important than that. – My biggest dream is for people to start respecting and loving each other – says a resident of Social Welfare Home No. 5 in Łódź.
The letter written by 96-year-old Mr. Edmund reads: “I am a soldier of the Home Army. (…) I am asking for a set of bedding and aftershave.”
How to take part in the action?
Each of us can make the dreams of DPS residents come true. As part of the fourth “Letter to Santa from DPS” campaign, handwritten requests are published on social media. About 300 letters are still waiting for people who can become Santa Claus. All they have to do is declare that they will buy a gift for a DPS resident and deliver it to the designated point.
– What is important is that someone remembers them, that they will receive the parcel, that someone will come and give it to them – emphasizes Witold Michalak, chairman of the Chojny-Dąbrowa Housing Estate Council in Łódź, participant of the “Letter to Santa from DPS” campaign.
There are approximately two thousand residents in Łódź nursing homes. Just over one thousand two hundred of them wrote the letters. – Last year there was a lot of joy and smiles on our faces. Our residents need a lot of attention, much more than the average person, says Agnieszka Rosińska, director of Social Welfare Home No. 5 in Łódź.
However, the organizers of the campaign want to provide a gift to everyone, regardless of whether they wrote the letter or not. That’s why we’re also collecting money. The finale of the campaign will take place in mid-December. – So that everyone can find something under the Christmas tree, so that they feel that someone is thinking about them – says Robert Pawlak, a councilor from Łódź.
Main photo source: Fakty TVN