West Deer coffee, tea shop owner spreading holiday cheer to seniors 1 mug at a time

Jennifer Urbanek is bringing a mugful of joy to seniors this holiday season.

The owner of The Hungry Cupcake coffee and tea shop in West Deer is donating Christmas coffee mugs packed with tea, hot chocolate mix, candy, lip balm, socks and stuffed animal key chains to older residents at assisted living facilities in Allegheny County.

A former art therapy teacher for area nursing homes, Urbanek said the holidays are already difficult for seniors in such facilities. Those difficulties have only been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.

“They’re very isolated,” Urbanek said of the seniors. “Many aren’t even allowed out of their rooms.”

Inspiration for the mugs came from Facebook posts Urbanek saw asking people to donate items to senior living facilities. She thought she could donate “a whole mugful of things.”

“I kind of started from there. I put a post out, and people started donating items and sending some funds for me to go out and do the shopping,” Urbanek said.

As of Tuesday, Urbanek had donated 75 mugs to Kane Ross Community Living Center in Ross, Concordia of Fox Chapel in Indiana Township and Presbyterian SeniorCare Network’s Oakmont campus. Each facility received 25 mugs.

Urbanek said the seniors can keep the items for themselves or give them as gifts to others. She said the pandemic has probably made it difficult for them to go Christmas shopping.

“They don’t have the ability now to shop for their grandchildren,” Urbanek said. “If they don’t want to keep it themselves, it will also let them regift it so they can feel like they’re maybe contributing to Christmas.”

Presbyterian SeniorCare Network spokeswoman Lisa Fischetti said such gifts are uplifting for the seniors, especially this year.

“We’ve always done gifts for our residents at the holidays, but these holidays are more challenging than most,” Fischetti said. “Any little bit really helps to remind them that people are thinking of them and want them to (feel) special.”

Urbanek planned to reach out to three more facilities to see if they would be interested in receiving mugs. She hopes to have another 75 out the door by Friday.

Community members have contributed to the initiative by donating money and items such as socks, lip balm and hot chocolate mix. Urbanek will continue to accept donations through the weekend.

Her daughter Kelsie Urbanek is helping package and deliver the mugs.

“I’m going to accept them through the weekend just so we can make sure that as of Monday we have enough time to get (them) out,” Urbanek said.