Our story · Since 2018
Bringing Christmas to the seniors everyone else forgets
What began with one woman and 60 stockings now reaches thousands of seniors across the Niagara Region every holiday season.
How it began
A void no one else was filling
Founder Janice Ford-Spencer, a former journalist, began visiting long-term-care homes across Niagara. She saw how lonely the holidays can be for seniors whose families live far away, or who have no one left at all.
So much holiday giving centres on children, she noticed, while older adults are quietly overlooked. In 2018 she set out to change that, filling about 60 stockings for the people she calls “the forgotten ones.”
Janice's voice for forgotten seniors now reaches beyond Niagara: she was recently asked to write a national magazine article about seniors and the isolation so many face.
This is my baby, and I'm very, very proud of the way it grew.
Our growth
From 60 stockings to thousands
2018
The first 60 stockings
Janice Ford-Spencer fills about 60 stockings for seniors with no family nearby. The idea catches on fast.
2023
Niagara Impact Award
The program is recognized with the Niagara Impact Award as it grows across the region.
2024
Around 3,000 delivered
With dozens of volunteer Elves and community partners, stockings reach thousands of seniors.
2025
About 4,000 stockings
The drive expands into Grimsby and Lincoln, alongside St. Catharines, Welland, and Port Colborne.
Recognized with the 2023 Niagara Impact Award.
How it comes together
A community effort, every December
Donors give filled stockings or contribute funds. More than 65 volunteer Elves shop, sort, and assemble at Elf Headquarters. Volunteers of every age pitch in, from children and local Scouts to seniors themselves. Community partners including Meals on Wheels, Community Care, March of Dimes, and Niagara Regional Housing help identify isolated seniors and deliver every stocking by hand.
Leadership
The people behind the stockings
Janice Ford-Spencer
Founder
Started Stockings of Love in 2018 and grew it into a Niagara-wide program reaching thousands of seniors each Christmas.
Patricia Tudor
President
Leads the program and has expanded its growth into Grimsby and Lincoln, carrying the mission forward across the region.
Make sure no senior spends Christmas forgotten
For about $25, a filled stocking tells a senior in our community that they are seen, remembered, and loved this holiday season.