MIDLAND, Texas — The holidays are all about being with family and loved ones.
But for some people, that isn’t possible. They don’t have family near them, or don’t have family at all.
That’s where the "Silver Bells Program" and President Bobby Slaughter come in.
Slaughter visited Focused Care at Hogan Park and gave them a considerate gift.
Silver Bells was started around 2000, and the founder of the organization saw the need to bring holiday cheer to people in nursing homes.
"She saw it made for residents with no family," President of Silver Bells Bobby Slaughter said. "So she made sure at that point to give them a gift for Christmas so they're not felt left out."
Silver Bell’s mission is to make sure everyone in West Texas can enjoy Christmas.
“'Silver Bells is a holiday gift project for local nursing home residents. Our mission is to purchase gifts for residents who might not otherwise have a joyous holiday season,'” read Slaughter. "So what we basically do is provide gifts for the residents that have no family, so that way they're not left out and they know that they are cared about. Holidays can be a lonely time for our residents."
"Through the years it has evolved the way we do it now," Slaughter said. "In the past, we used to get a large Christmas gift bag and put items in such as lotion, chapstick, stuffed animals, stuff like that they can use. With the shipping this year, [it] has been so erratic, we decided to go with the $1,200 gift cards for the facility and just make sure our residents are covered."
Slaughter has been with the Silver Bells for 20 years, and he doesn't plan on stopping any time soon.
"I've always been a person who volunteers," Slaughter said. "And I actually saw an advertisement on TV, and I just felt the need to volunteer for them. [...] And then when I got into that organization volunteering, then I got into the Silver Bells."
From there, Slaughter climbed the ranks and is now the president of the organization.
The Silver Bells go all around the Permian Basin, serving a multitude of nursing homes.
"Approximately 37 and 38 in the Permian Basin," Slaughter said. "Because we go to Midland-Odessa, Lamesa, Crane, Pecos, Fort Stockton, Monahans, Stanton. What we do is, I start calling the facilities mid-November and ask them if there's a need, and then the ones that get back with me is ones that we do our budget with to see how much we can afford to send each facility. So, there was only 8 this year that responded, but that's well over 300 residents."
300 people whose Christmas is a lot better.
"It is such a blessing to be able to do this," Slaughter said. "If you can see the faces of the residents receive something from us. It's such a blessing and I am blessed to be able to do this."
It shows that if you can help someone in need, you should, because the feeling of helping other people is better than whatever gift you might receive under the tree.
If you're interested in donating, you can contact Bobby Slaughter at gunslinger.1952@yahoo.com or 432-556-0795.