The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year! It’s a time for joyous celebration with family and friends and a time to pause and reflect on the many blessings in life.

At NAPCA, we are grateful for so many things: our experienced Board of Directors for their sound leadership, our hardworking and talented staff for their dedication to supporting AAPI elders in aging with dignity and integrity, and our community partners for their commitment to providing excellent direct services. In celebration of the things that help NAPCA thrive, we pause to remember why we do what we do and why we give back: it’s the people who make up our wonderful communities.

So this holiday season, NAPCA employees participated in a 12 Days of Giving Campaign to get out into the communities we operate in and continue to help those truly in need. Here are just a few of the ways that NAPCA staff are giving back this season:

• Senior Coffee Break: Staff in Seattle spent their lunch hour canvassing Downtown Seattle to hand out hot coffee and fresh pastries to homeless seniors
• Donation Drive: All NAPCA offices contributed and donated over 30lbs of gently used clothing, 50 school supplies and unopened toys, canned food and toiletries to various organizations
• Meals on Wheels: On Thanksgiving, staff in Hawaii delivered Thanksgiving meals and dessert to homebound seniors
• Bake Off: Staff baked and donated fresh dinner rolls to a community church for a Thanksgiving meal
• Volunteer Day: Staff volunteered with local churches, community centers, and youth organizations

Through these activities, staff not only bonded but were also able to spread some holiday cheer to those with less fortunate. On behalf of everyone at NAPCA, we wish you a joyous and safe holiday season!

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.