ELDERLY COUPLE ASKS FOR LITTLE IN WAY OF GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS

When Mr. B was asked what he would like for Christmas, he requested a gift for his wife.

Mr. B has worked hard all his life. He has always paid his bills first, even if it means doing without things he needs, even necessities.

For example, he keeps the furnace at a very low temperature in the winter and often doesn't run the air conditioning at all in the summer to conserve electricity costs.

But as each week passes, keeping current on all the bills is become more and more difficult.

He is in the late stages of emphysema. He also has asthma and was disabled in a pesticide accident several years ago.

Mr. and Mrs. B own their own modest home, so they have no rent or mortgage payments. But they also have very little money. And Mr. B's pharmacy bill alone totals more than $300 a month.

Mrs. B, who is not in very good health either, works part time cleaning homes to bring home a little extra money.

Mr. B's Christmas request was a new pair of eye glasses for his wife. She has postponed going for a checkup because she knows she needs a new prescription, but can't afford to buy new glasses.

Mr. B cannot leave his home often. He enjoys working jigsaw puzzles and reading western novels and these would make a wonderful Christmas surprise for Mr. B.

The family could also use a gift certificate for groceries at a Jackson grocery store.

Christmas for the Elderly is a joint project of the Cape Girardeau Health Department and the Southeast Missourian newspaper as a way to bring a little holiday cheer to needy, elderly residents.

Organizers ask that gifts be given by Dec. 13.

Gifts may be delivered to the Southeast Missourian office, 301 Broadway, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

Gifts may also be delivered to the health department, 1121 Linden, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Checks may be mailed to Christmas for the Elderly, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701.

For more information, call Kim McDowell at 335-6611.