NORTH SYRACUSE — While the holidays ultimately are about the spirit of giving, you have to admit part of the fun of selecting gifts is shopping for yourself. With that in mind, Subaru is holding its 14th annual Share the Love campaign. The annual event, which began in 2008, helps car buyers donate to charity.
For every new Subaru purchased or leased between now and Jan. 3, 2021, Subaru will donate $250 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels or the National Park Foundation. Buyers choose which charity to which they would like to donate, and the local arms of these organizations receive a share.
One of those local charity branches is North Area Meals on Wheels, located in North Syracuse. NAMOW delivers more than 400 meals each weekday to clients in Cicero, North Syracuse, Liverpool, Mattydale, Brewerton, Clay, Bridgeport and Baldwinsville.
“Because of our partnership with Subaru of America and Meals on Wheels America, we can continue to fulfill our mission of making sure no senior goes hungry,” said NAMOW Executive Director Jennifer Covert. “The last Share the Love campaign enabled NAMOW to deliver an additional 1,391 meals to our local seniors. We are beyond grateful to both organizations for the support and commitment to our mission.”
In years past, NAMOW has hosted “Stuff the Trunk with Blizzard Junk” to collect nonperishable food items for snowed-in seniors. This year, Onondaga County is funding two rounds of “Blizzard Bags” for NAMOW, so Covert is shifting gears to collecting holiday gifts for her clients.
“Many of our clients don’t have family members and they wouldn’t get a gift if it weren’t for us,” she said. “They think of us as their family.”
This year’s “Stuff the Trunk” event coincides with NAMOW’s Christmas Volunteer Luncheon on Dec. 8, but community members are welcome to drop off gifts at NAMOW until Christmas.
Consider the following gift ideas:
- Blankets
- Scarves
- Gloves
- Slipper socks with grips
- Large-print books
- Crossword or word search books
- Nightlights
- Pill boxes
- Eyeglass holders
- Tins of cookies or candy (sugar-free preferred)
You may wrap your gift; if the item is gender-specific, please label it with “male” or “female.” NAMOW is located at 413 Church St. in North Syracuse and is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To learn more about Subaru’s Share the Love campaign, visit subaru.com/share-the-love.html. Visit namow.org to learn more about North Area Meals on Wheels.
