Ventura, Calif. – The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging (VCAAA) is extending a call to action to local schools for a Holiday Greetings Campaign aimed to reach older adults and people with disabilities who are living in Ventura County. The VCAAA is seeking greeting cards that are handmade or premade by local students of all ages with a short holiday greeting written inside. Cards will be distributed as part of the VCAAA’s COVID-19 meal service programs. The first phase of the campaign will focus on Thanksgiving, with the possibility of an extension into the winter holiday season.

More than 30,000 older adults in Ventura County are living alone, and the isolation, loneliness, and depression many of them are experiencing during the COVID-19 has become as much of a threat to their overall health as the virus itself. With the holiday season quickly approaching, the VCAAA recognizes that this is the most critical time to extend not only our services to these populations, but also our care and support.

Those interested in participating should send completed Thanksgiving greeting cards to the VCAAA through the month of November. Greeting cards may be mailed to, or dropped off at, 646 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, Ca. 93003. Please notate VCAAA Holiday Greetings Campaign on the envelope. All cards will be reviewed and then delivered with food boxes from the VCAAA’s COVID-19 pantry for the month of November.

The VCAAA continues to encourage family members and neighbors to safely connect with loved ones who may benefit from similar holiday greetings, and from support with grocery shopping or other errands. It is extremely important to keep open lines of communication to help minimize the isolation so many Ventura County residents are experiencing.

Parents, educators, or school administrators interested in participating in this program may e-mailjannette.jauregui@ventura.org for more information, or call (805) 477-7306.

The Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, an agency of the County of Ventura, is the principal agency in Ventura County charged with the responsibility to promote the development and implementation of a comprehensive coordinated system of care that enables older individuals, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities to live in a community-based setting and to advocate for the needs of those 60 years of age and older in the county, providing leadership and promoting citizen involvement in the planning process as well as in the delivery of services.

Media inquiries may be directed to Jannette Jauregui, VCAAA Public Information Officer, at (805) 477-7306.