MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (WCCO) – A number of people in the Twin Cities are volunteering their time this holiday season for those who might otherwise be forgotten.

They’re involved in a program called “Be a Santa to a Senior.” Volunteers gathered in Home Instead Senior Care in Maple Grove Friday morning to put together small bags of gifts that will go a long way this holiday season.

Volunteers will be in Maple Grove all day Friday.  Home Instead Senior Care has been doing the “Be a Santa to a Senior” campaign since 2006, with the goal to find seniors in the metro who are isolated and financially challenged, or just don’t have family around. The gifts they get from this drive might be the only gifts they get for Christmas.

They work with a number of assisted living homes and non-profit organizations to make “Be a Santa to a Senior” happen and help identify the seniors in need. Volunteers put together packages for seniors in need, and they go directly to their care centers.

Officials said they estimate that in Minneapolis and the western suburbs, they’ll give out around 2,500 gifts this holiday season. Throughout the Home Instead Senior Care network, about 1.2 million gifts have been handed out over the last six years.