Birthday Tradition at The Knolls Senior Living Helps Fill Little Free Pantries

Lincoln, Neb. (KLKN) — For the last four years, Sandra Robertson has used her birthday as a way to give back to the Lincoln community, with residents at The Knolls Senior Living joining the celebration by helping stock Little Free Pantries across the city.

For Robertson, her birthday has become an opportunity to celebrate by helping others.

“Well, I think it’s a wonderful idea because we usually think about birthdays as being a time to receive, and Sandra has set this up so that we have a chance to give to people, and we do it in her honor,” The Knolls resident Carol McClain said.

The tradition started four years ago when Robertson brought the idea to her coworker, Lifestyle Director Robin Leuty.

“She came to me around her birthday and said, ‘Hey, I have an idea. I want to fill up these food pantries for my birthday, and I want to include the residents.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, let’s do it,’” Leuty said.

Since then, the drive has grown, with donations coming from community care partners and help from residents and their families.

Residents assist with sorting the donations before taking the celebration on the road, party hats and noisemakers included, to stock Little Free Pantries around Lincoln.

“I love that our residents participate. It really, really, truly shows that compassion has no age. You know, it’s all about giving and caring,” Robertson, director of nursing at The Knolls, said.

This year, residents also got to see the impact of their efforts firsthand.

“In fact, the last stop we made, we hadn’t pulled out of the parking lot yet. A young man walked up to it and picked out a couple of items and put them in his backpack, and I thought, that’s feeding someone that might not have gotten something that night,” resident Mary Beth Johnson said.

After another year of giving back, residents say they are ready to do it again.

“I enjoy it every minute of it, and I’m going to do it next year. Definitely,” resident Kathy Dillon said.

The Knolls said this year’s drive brought in more donations than any of the previous years. Organizers are already discussing ways to make the fifth year even bigger, including reaching more Little Free Pantries throughout Lincoln.