Suwannee County Teen leads ‘Socks For Seniors’ initiative to gift seniors this holiday season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - This holiday season, a Suwannee County teenager is on a mission to make more senior citizens feel loved and appreciated.

Through “Socks For Seniors,” 15-year-old Rhaine Hart-Vasey is delivering holiday gift bags to eight nursing homes in Suwannee, Hamilton and Lafayette counties.

Three years ago, Rhaine started visiting women from her church living at Surrey Place Care Center in Live Oak.

Rhaine said she would play bingo with the seniors and bring them gift bags full of handwritten cards, candy and socks with gripping to prevent falls.

Last year, Rhaine used her own money to purchase items for holiday gift bags for everyone at Surrey Place.

Rhaine and her Mom, Staci Hart, couldn’t go inside the nursing home due to coronavirus shutdowns, but through the windows, they could see the joy it brought the residents.

“They were all really happy and some wanted to give me hugs, but we couldn’t. So we just air high-fived, but they had a really happy smile and they were really glad someone thought of them”, Rhaine said.

This year, Rhaine’s goal is to raise $2,000 and deliver gifts to 735 seniors. The community fundraiser runs through Thursday, Dec. 9. The gift bags will be handed out on Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The community can show their support by visiting the #SocksForSeniorSuwanneeValley Facebook page.

Copyright 2021 WCTV. All rights reserved.