Giving Tree brings holiday joy to assisted living residents

CHELAN – The annual Heritage Heights Giving Tree is up early this year and ready for shoppers at Whaley’s General Store in Chelan. 

The Heritage Heights Giving Tree program at Whaley’s General Store ensures that residents of the assisted living facility receive personalized Christmas gifts. Heritage Heights provides tags with residents’ names and gift wishes. 

Community members may select a tag at the store’s front desk, purchase and wrap the gift, and return it to the store by December 20. Whaley’s General Store will then organize the gifts and make sure that they are delivered by the 21 so that residents will have a gift in time for Christmas.

Store owner, Jana Crawford, said giving back to the community is important, and that is why the store has offered a giving tree for about 20 years.

The Giving Tree helps make the season a little brighter for residents at the Heritage Heights Assisted Living facility.

 “I think it's important to give back to the community first of all,” Crawford said. “And I think older people get forgotten.”

“I think that, you know, and a lot of people don't, they don't have any packages up there, they don't have family in town or whatever,” she said. “So this way they have a Christmas.”

Heritage Heights Activity Director Rachel Kiesecker said each year, the residents get excited to open their presents.

“Whatever the gift, small or big, the resident will appreciate whatever the community gives to them,” she said.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.