Across the Catholic health ministry, associates and community members are embracing the holiday season by sharing joy with others. They are finding myriad ways to help people in need.
Here is a sampling of what is happening across Catholic health care, based on press releases and social media:
Ascension: The Sister Philomena Food Drive at Austin, Texas-based Ascension Seton set a record with more than 12,000 pounds of food collected for communities.
On Thanksgiving Day, associates and others volunteered their time at Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside and Ascension St. Vincent's Clay County to prepare more than 1,000 meals for seniors in need across Duval and Clay counties in Florida.
At Ascension St. John Broken Arrow in Oklahoma, its Cheer Cart made the rounds, offering staff a choice between pumpkin, pecan or apple pie.
CHRISTUS Health: CHRISTUS Health and Oak Grove Church of God in Christ partnered for the fifth consecutive year on their Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway in Tyler, Texas. The partners donated about 900 fully cooked turkeys to the local community as part of their Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway. More than 75 CHRISTUS Health volunteers pitched in at the drive-thru distribution.
Bon Secours Mercy Health: Bon Secours — Southside Medical Center in Petersburg, Virginia, donated 54 Thanksgiving baskets to The Hope Center, each one helping a family in need celebrate the season. A special blessing was held over the baskets, and each basket contained enough to feed one family an entire Thanksgiving meal.
CommonSpirit Health: Dignity Health–Community Hospital of San Bernardino in California provided hundreds of traditional Thanksgiving meals to go and other giveaways for the community.
A team from Dignity Health–Glendale Memorial Hospital in California, alongside youth volunteers and community partners like The Salvation Army, served Thanksgiving meals to over 300 neighbors.
SSM Health: At SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital — Shawnee in Oklahoma, Melinda Watson, a nurse at Joyful Beginnings, the labor and delivery center at the hospital, coordinated an infant sleep sack donation drive and delivered the sleep sacks to the Legacy Parenting Center in Shawnee in November.
The Women's Center at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon, Illinois, held a diaper derby to support the community and spread awareness of safe sleep practices. Caregivers collected 2,647 diapers and put labels on each package to promote the ABCs (Alone, Back and Crib) of safe sleep education.
Employees at SMM Health Ripon Community Hospital in Wisconsin donated 110 boxes of stuffing to the Princeton Women's Club to help people in need. The hospital's Mission Action Team coordinated the drive.
In partnership with the St. Louis Area Foodbank, SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital — St. Louis hosted a free food distribution event that supported 262 households and 925 individuals, including 468 children.
Catholic Medical Center: Catholic Medical Center of Manchester, New Hampshire, partnered with the Granite United Way for a coat drive benefitting community members in need. Catholic Medical Center associates donated close to 40 coats to help keep community members warm this winter.
Saint Francis Healthcare System: Through its annual food drive, Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, collected 160 boxes of food and personal hygiene items for Saint Francis colleagues, families and community members. Boxes were delivered to families throughout the region, as well as to community partner organizations including Community Counseling Center and Catholic Charities. These donations help ensure that families facing hardship receive support, nourishment and encouragement during Thanksgiving and the holidays.