There may not have been raindrops or kittens, or even copper kettles being wrapped, but the Rodgers and Hammerstein tune certainly fit the mood at the Newtown Senior Center on Tuesday, December 13, when more than a dozen volunteers from Newtown Triad and Home Instead Senior Care made short work of wrapping 30 gifts for local senior citizens who might otherwise be without a holiday present this year.

Sweaters, scarves, hats and, yes, warm woolen mittens made up the bulk of the donations requested by Newtown seniors identified through the Be A Santa To A Senior gift program sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care this year. “We had a couple of requests for ice scrapers with gloves and one for a magic set,” said Lisa Kelleher, director of community services at Home Instead Senior Care, as she busily added bows and tags to the wrapped gifts surrounding her on the floor. “Other than that, mostly sweaters and ordinary things were requested.”

Of the 35 requests in Newtown, 30 tags were returned, she said. If possible, the agency will try to fill the remaining gift requests and deliver them, along with the other presents, directly to the seniors’ homes on December 16 and 17.

The Home Instead Senior Care gift program, in conjunction with local businesses and volunteer groups, is part of a nationwide campaign to bring human contact and social interaction to seniors who are not likely to have holiday visitors. “We were thrilled with the initial response this community service program received both on a local as well as a national level,” said Sharon Massafra, president and owner of Home Instead Senior Care, which has offices in Newtown and Stratford.

Newtown Social Services and the Newtown Senior Center identified deserving seniors in Newtown and provided the names to Home Instead Senior Care. A decorated tree in the Queen Street branch of Peoples Bank provided local residents with the opportunity to select an ornament and gift request, which was returned to the bank prior to December 9. Members of Home Instead Senior Care and Triad members (Peoples Bank, Newtown Police Department, and Newtown Senior Center) collected, wrapped, and will deliver the gifts.

Refreshments were provided through the generosity of Bagel Delite, Andrea’s Pastry Shop, and The Big Y. Joy’s Hallmark in Sand Hill Plaza donated wrapping material.

Home Instead Senior Care was established in 1994. It provides services including companionship, meal preparation, light housework, medication reminders, transportation, errands, and shopping to senior citizens. The Newtown office is at 111 Church Hill Road, Suite 303. The office can be contacted at 426-6666 for information regarding its services.