With just a little more than a week until Christmas, Santa’s helpers were hard at work at St. Tammany Health System’s flagship St. Tammany Parish Hospital on Friday (Dec. 15).
In what has become a treasured holiday tradition, health system colleagues loaded up hundreds of wrapped Christmas presents – along with no fewer than 16 bicycles – destined to warm the holidays of local families in need.
“This is one of my favorite times of year, and this program is one of my favorite things we do for the community,” STHS Chief Operating Officer Sharon Toups said between carrying armloads of presents from the hospital’s Board Room to a caravan of awaiting vehicles. “It’s so amazing how generous our colleagues are. I can only imagine what it feels like on Christmas Day for these families. It’s just so heartening.”
The Adopt-A-Family program, facilitated by the Department of Children and Family Services in Covington, will see the hospital’s donations brighten the Christmases of 46 local families this year – more than ever previously – including an estimated 150 children and 45 caregivers.
As part of the program, Individual departments throughout the health system “adopt” one or more families through Family Services, which provides a wish list from each.
Health system colleagues then go into elf mode, donating their own money to purchase items from those lists. Each present is then wrapped and turned over to Family Services, which ensures they all find their way beneath the proper Christmas tree.
The Adopt-A-Family tradition has been going on more than 15 years at STHS. In that time, it is estimated it has reached well over 550 local families.
Scroll down to see photos from the loading up of this year’s gifts.