Saints Facebook fan group joins with Subway to feed STHS team

From left, New Orleans Saints - Who Dat Nation Facebook group members Danielle and Michael Turner present STHS Executive Chef Abry Crosby with a donation of 250 Subway meals to feed hospital colleagues on Thursday, April 30. Also pictured at rear right are Slidell-area Subway franchisees Stefanie and Reggie Lapouble and, front right, Who Dat Nation group member Stephanie Williams. (Photo by Tim San Fillippo / STHS)

By STHS Communication Department

The members of the New Orleans Saints - Who Dat Nation Facebook page aren’t just big fans of the black and gold. They’re also fans of St. Tammany Health System and the work the Covington hospital is doing to fight the COVID-19 coronavirus on the Northshore.

Members of the club proved that Thursday (April 30), teaming up with Slidell Subway franchisees Reggie and Stefanie Lapouble to donate 250 boxed meals – each containing a Subway sandwich, a bag of chips, a cookie, a drink and a note of thanks – to STHS employees.

“We had a couple of raffles go on and we raised money for masks for a couple of hospitals on the south shore. We had some money left over, and we thought, ‘Let’s give a little Northshore love,’” Who Dat Nation’s Michael Turner said.

So, they reached out to the Lapoubles – who operate stores at 199 Gause Blvd. and at 167 and 111 Northshore Blvd. in Slidell – to inquire about buying 100 meals for STHS team members. Not only did the Lapoubles take their order but they matched that donation, doubling the total number of meals to 200.

In addition, a single Who Dat Nation member – one of more than 30,000 who belong to the fan group -- ponied up enough money to buy 50 more, bringing the total to 250.

Turner, who was accompanied Thursday by wife Danielle and fellow group member Stephanie Williams, shrugged off thanks from STHS Executive Chef Abry Crosby, who accepted the donation on behalf of the hospital.

“It means a lot for us to be in a place to do this,” said Turner, a Lacombe resident.

As for the Lapoubles, who employee 39 people between their three stores, it’s not the first time they’ve stepped up to lend a hand during the COVID outbreak. For a month after the cancellation of St. Tammany Parish public schools, they gave away free meals daily to local school children.

“We just wanted to give back to the community,” Stefanie Lapouble said Thursday when asked what prompted the generosity.

*****

If you’re interested in donating meals to the St. Tammany Health System staff, contact Helen McNab in the STHS Food Service Department at hmcnab@stph.org or (985) 898-4065 and follow these food-safety guidelines:

• Food must be prepared in a licensed and LDH-inspected facility.
• Food should be individually wrapped or packaged, as we are no longer using buffet service in the hospital. Pizza is an exception.
• Cold donations help us ensure time/temperature guidelines are met, but we can work with hot food as well.
• Where possible, please consider contributing healthy food choices.
• Please label the gift with instructions if needed. Include who is giving the gift, so we know who to recognize.
• Our hospital is in a restricted access environment, so donations must be delivered to the rear food service entrance. They can then be delivered within the hospital by food service staff.