Santa Claus isn’t the only one handing out gifts this holiday season. The Valle Grande Mexican Grill has plans to do the same.

The restaurant is encouraging its customer to help residents at Park Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with their Christmas wish lists.

People who participate are asked to purchase items from each senior’s wish list and bring those gifts back to the restaurant by Friday, Dec. 12.

“It’s a blessing to see so many people, especially some who don’t have family to come see them, get blessed,” said Dena Williamson, a Valley Grande Mexican Grill employee. “They are just so uplifted when someone cares for them who’s not their family, and it’s fun.”

The grill’s Christmas tree is decorated with paper trees for each of the nursing homes’ 110 clients and the gender of the resident and other useful information. Among the many presents requested are socks, gowns, T-shirts and more.

Once the restaurant has received the gifts, they will present them to the clients and provide them with food during a Christmas party held at the nursing home on Dec. 18 at noon.

The business introduced the concept last year, when the same effort benefited residents at 130 Warren Manor Health and Rehabilitation Center.

“We had such success last year and all of the patients were just lighted up with joy when we fed them and gave them their gifts, so we wanted to do it again this year,” Williamson said.

Dianne Steel-Fair, an activity director for Park Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, said the center is appreciative for the restaurant’s offer. She described the grill’s staff as “the sweetest people in the world.”

“It’s always a blessing to have one of our community business to give back to our residents,” Steel-Fair said. “Every year, our residents get blessed by somebody somewhere within the community.”

The project is already gaining a good response from the public, giving Williamson confidence that the restaurant will be able to provide for all of those they aim to help, like they did last year.

“While I was walking through the restaurant, I had a person stop me and immediately get five, and I hadn’t’ even started putting them on the tree yet,” Williamson said Tuesday.

For more information, call Williamson at the Valle Grande Mexican at (334) 877-1118.