SARATOGA SPRINGS — One down, just 349 to go. On Friday, a gift tag order was placed on the Impressions of Saratoga online store by someone in Staten Island. Word of the new “Adopt a Grandparent” campaign had apparently already reached the Big Apple.
The owners of Impressions of Saratoga and The Dark Horse Mercantile have launched a holiday gift-giving initiative for seniors. The “Adopt a Grandparent” campaign officially begins on November 24 and ends December 17. During that time, $20 gift tags can be purchased. Buyers can write their own personalized notes on the tags. Then those tags will be hung on trees at the two stores.
Come December 18, store co-owners Maddy Zanetti and Marianne Barker will use the proceeds from the tags to buy gifts for the residents of the Wesley Community’s Health Care Center. The hope is that 350 gift tags will be purchased, thus allowing Zanetti and Barker to give one gift to every Wesley resident.
“We can talk to the Wesley Community and see what the residents might actually use,” Zanetti said. The goal is to buy the seniors gifts that are both practical and will “make them all feel special during the holiday season,” according to Zanetti.
For Zanetti, Wesley has special significance in her life. “My great-grandmother lived there when I was little,” she said, “and my grandmother just recently passed away and she was there.”
The Wesley Community “empowers seniors to live independently with choices, confidence, and peace of mind” in the heart of Saratoga Springs, according to a company brochure.
Zanetti said that she and co-owner Barker’s families were fortunate because they could go visit their elders during the holidays. “But sometimes people don’t have a local family member,” she said.
Those interested in buying a gift tag can do so at either Impressions of Saratoga or The Dark Horse Mercantile on Broadway in downtown Saratoga. Non-locals can visit www.ImpressionsSaratoga.com to purchase a tag online. Orders can also be placed over the phone by calling 518-587-0666.
