Holiday Gift Outpouring at Kempton of Rock Hill Prompted by Heartfelt Social Media Post

What began as one generous social media influencer’s heartfelt plea to bring joy to seniors turned into a powerful reminder of compassion, community, and generosity across generations.

After a viral social media post prompted thousands of gifts to arrive for residents of Kempton of Rock Hill, the seniors paid that kindness forward by delivering the remaining gifts to other senior living communities and local nonprofit organizations.

Social media influencer Dugan Meredith, whose Taking Care of Granny Facebook and TikTok pages reach 800,000 followers, recently shared a simple holiday request. He and his family care for his mother-in-law, who is living with dementia. Honoring her and other seniors, Dugan asked followers to send holiday cheer to the 64 assisted living and memory support residents at Kempton of Rock Hill.

The response was immediate and enormous. Thousands of gifts arrived from across the United States and even the United Kingdom, many with lovely notes enclosed. At one point, 181 packages arrived in a single Amazon delivery.

“It is just amazing. People do care. It has restored my faith in humanity,” said Lisa Battistelli, executive director of Kempton of Rock Hill.

"Our residents are so grateful for their good fortune. At Kempton they are well taken care of and provided with a lot of love and attention. That being said, everyone brightens up with extra attention during the holidays, so they were thrilled with the unexpected gifts,” Battistelli said. Presents were distributed to residents during their Christmas party last week. Grateful for the outpouring of kindness, residents quickly decided to share their good fortune and pay it forward by donating gifts with other local organizations in the Rock Hill community.

On December 23, team members and residents loaded the Kempton of Rock Hill shuttle bus with remaining gifts and delivered them to: White Oak of Rock Hill, Magnolia Manor of Rock Hill, Spring Oak at York, Chandler Place Assisted Living and Memory Care and Ground 40.

Furthermore, residents assembled goodie bags with multiple gift items that were donated to an area homeless shelter. These included hats created with assistance from their weekly visitors, the Casual Pint Crafty Girls.

Giving is an important part of the culture at Kempton of Rock Hill. The residents are generous and dedicated to supporting area organizations through drives, collections, and donations, year-round. As the residents were enjoying the gifts they recently received, the conversation quickly turned to how they could continue to pay their good fortune forward and make this an annual tradition.

Kempton of Rock Hill

Kempton of Rock Hill campus offers assisted living, memory care and respite care. Kempton of Rock Hill is managed by Liberty Senior Living, LLC, a division of Liberty Health that specializes in senior living and retirement communities. For additional information, visit www. KemptonOfRockHill.com or call 803-932-1026.