Bureau of Aging Services collecting holiday gifts for seniors
November 5, 2026
Georgetown County’s Bureau of Aging Services is collecting small gifts for its annual holiday giveaway for residents 60 and older. Organizers hope to top the 500 bags given out last year.
“Each year, I want to keep going higher and higher to reach everybody,” said Vanessa Funnie, Aging Program Manager for the Bureau of Aging Services, better known as BOAS.
Donations will be accepted at the county’s senior centers through Dec. 4. Bags will be distributed Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon, while supplies last. 
BOAS is asking for small gifts such as socks, cocoa, emergency kits, puzzles, puzzle books, notepads, toiletries and other stocking stuffers. Other items are welcome, too.
Some older residents are home alone with little to do during the holidays, Funnie said. The bags are meant to bring them some cheer and show them “that we still care for them,” she said, “and they’re not alone.”
Who can get a gift bag
Anyone in the community who is 60 or older can receive a bag. They do not have to be a regular at a senior center.
Volunteers needed
The bureau is also looking for “Santa’s helpers” to deliver bags to seniors who don’t have transportation or can’t leave home.
Volunteers can come to a senior center from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 11. They should bring a copy of the ID of each senior they’re picking up for, which will be returned to them. The ID check helps ensure that each person receives one bag.
Year-round programs for seniors
The holiday giveaway is one of many services offered by the Bureau of Aging Services, which has six locations in Georgetown County.
Seniors can gather at the centers for meals, puzzles, games, exercise, dancing and trips. They also sing and perform in a talent show and at holiday parties. Some participants are nearly 100 and still come to the centers regularly.
“These seniors, they are energetic,” Funny said. “They do a lot of different things.”
Seniors who can’t get to a center may qualify for the home delivery program, which brings a week’s worth of frozen meals to their door once a week.
Programs are open to residents 60 and older and are free.
For more information, call the Bureau of Aging Services at 843-545-3197.
