Volunteers Needed

Please email coordinator@seniorssecretservice.com to receive the sign-up email, coming mid-November that will outline all of the various volunteer opportunities at the Gift Drop and the warehouse.

Santa’s Wish List

We often have seniors who are added to our list at the last minute who need gifts or have gifts that aren’t returned by the Santa.   Last year we made gifts for over 300 additional seniors with items that were donated from the wish list.

Wish list items can be placed in our collection boxes at our drop-off locations in their original store bags or your box – Please label them as WISH LIST

Drop-off locations for the 2023 season will all be outdoors.   Trucks will be parked in the parking lots of the following Calgary Police Service offices from 8 am till 6 pm Friday, November 24th, Saturday, November 25th, and Sunday, November 26th.

District 1:  1010 26 Avenue S.E.                

District 2:  4506 17 Avenue S.W.

District 4:  3207 12 Ave NE

District 8:  450 Midpark Way S.E.

Spyhill Services Centre: 12500 85 Street N.W.  

Christmas Warehouse – Location TBD

Santa’s Wish List 

• All types of toiletry items for men and women – High demand items!
• Toiletry gift sets – High-demand items!
• Treats: small boxes of chocolates, candy, cookies, etc. 
• Diabetic treats/gluten-free treats
• Large print puzzle books 
• Jigsaw puzzles – Under 500 pieces are best
• Go cups with no-spill lid
• Calendars 
• Herbal Tea/ Individual instant coffee serving gift sets 
• Small household/kitchen gadgets and linens
• Treats/toys for dogs and cats
• Small Christmas ornaments 
• Transit tickets 
• New handmade items are also appreciated for those who are crafty or knit 
• Tim Horton’s or Starbucks gift cards 
• Chapters gift cards, fast food gift cards, grocery store gift cards- High demand items! 
• Various sizes of men’s and ladies underwear.   
• Fuzzy Blankets – please remember these are going into a small box.
• Sheet sets of various sizes from twin to queen
• Bathrobes – all sizes 
• Music Cds 
• DVDs – Comedy and Western seem to be popular choices 
• Small and easy-to-operate CD players.   
• Gift cards for Walmart or The Bay – these are handy to have in case we need to purchase clothing
• Sweaters of all sizes for men or ladies, cardigan or pull-on 
• T-shirts of all sizes for men and women – short or long-sleeve 
• Button-up casual blouses for ladies or button-up casual shirts for men 
• Pj pants and 2-piece pj sets – men and ladies 
• Nighties for ladies – a variety of lengths 

Create a Man or Lady gift

If you would rather you can put together a complete gift for a man or lady.  While we are happy to put together gifts on our end, some volunteers enjoy putting the entire package together. 

You can look to Santa’s wish list for ideas of commonly requested items.   If you purchase clothing, we ask that you choose 1 size per box and indicate that on the content list (taped to the outside of the box). 

This year we will be supplying boxes for the Man or Lady generic gifts. Please do not write anything on the box but tape a piece of paper that indicates either a generic man or lady and list the contents). You will need to pick up the boxes from one of our distribution points. 

The boxes are available at all Calgary London Drugs Stores. 

Regus has offered us two of their business centres as distribution locations – Hours of operation are Mon – Fri 9am to 5pm

Participating Regus Business Centres

• McDougall – Suite 2500, 639 5 Avenue SW

• Bankers Hall 10th Floor, 888 3rd Street SW Bankers Hall, West Tower

Airdrie Box Pick Up NEW THIS YEAR

We are excited to announce our newest sponsor! Glitch Gaming Lounge is located at

127 Kingsview Rd SE Unit #203 Airdrie

The dimensions of the box are 16” x 12” x 12” which is just a bit bigger than a file/banker’s box.   

Each box will have a space on the outside to write the seniors name, id number and site id. For generic gifts please DO NOT write in this space.  Tape a label that indicates either Man or Lady gift to the outside of the box along with a content list of what is in the gift.   The boxes can be decorated with stickers or drawings if you like, and the gifts inside can be individually wrapped. 

Non-Senior Seniors

These have been filled for 2023

As we have every year, there are a small number of people on our list who do not technically qualify as seniors.  These folks for the most part live in 24-hour care facilities due to a debilitating illness or injury. They are individuals who do not have family support and are alone at Christmas.  We are looking for a few Santas who might be willing to take on a non-senior senior 🙂   If you would be interested in providing a gift for one of our underage folks please send an email to coordinator@seniorssecretservice.com    

Hospital Gifts

Each year we supply over 300 gifts to Calgary area hospitals for those seniors who are alone in the hospital over Christmas.   These gifts are considerably smaller than a regular gift.  Here is an example of the hospital profile for a lady gift.

Warm Blanket that is Feminine or Pashmina, Socks with Grips, Toiletry Kit with Full Sized Product (Toothpaste, Shampoo, a Hairbrush, a Toothbrush, and Deodorant), Christmas Stuffie, Crossword/Word Search – Large Print, Adult Coloring Book & Markers, Magazine (Ex: Chatelaine, Hello).

If you would like to put together a hospital gift please email coordinator@seniorssecretservice.com and we will send you a profile.   You will need to pick up a box for these gifts as well. 

Want to help but hate to shop?

We are very grateful for any financial support that we receive.   There are many costs associated with operating this program which include but are not limited to, boxes, truck rentals, supplies such as tape and wrapping paper.  We also usually end up purchasing some of the harder-to-find items that a senior may have requested such as grocery store cards, winter jackets, or boots if we do not have their size donated. 

You can donate online at

https://atb.benevity.org/community/cause/124-894375666RR0001/donate

or at

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/seniors-secret-service/

On behalf of myself and the Board of Directors, thank you all for your tremendous support and patience this year.   Because of you, we will reach over 6400 isolated seniors this Christmas!!!!   We could not do this without you.   

Andrea Brumwell, Executive Director, Seniors Secret Service