Cancer Center fills bellies, hearts at Thanksgiving food giveaway

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Tuesday, November 23, 2021

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Cancer Center fills bellies, hearts at Thanksgiving food giveaway

Mike Scott, mscott@stph.org

Vehicles line up at a Thanksgiving food distribution on Monday (Nov. 22) for patients at St. Tammany Cancer Center, a campus of Ochsner Medical Center. In all, 80 boxes of food curated by the cancer center’s dietitians – and 80 turkeys, of course – were distributed as part of the event. (Photo by Tim San Fillippo / STHS)

Technically speaking, they were just a bunch of boxes filled with groceries.

But they meant so much more than that to the cancer patients who received them Monday (Nov. 22) during a “Thanksgiving-in-a-box” food distribution event in Covington at St. Tammany Cancer Center, a campus of Ochsner Medical Center.

Inside each of the 80 boxes was a collection of food curated by the cancer center’s dietitians to help the recipients celebrate a happy, and, more importantly, a healthy Thanksgiving.

“Listen, this cancer center has been phenomenal,” said patient Stephanie Weeks of Folsom, who was among those picking up a box Monday. “I’ve been to a few on the northshore and southshore and all around. They remember your name. It’s so easy to check in and out. Everybody’s so friendly and so helpful. They really go above and beyond.”

Along with a variety of staples – from fresh fruit and vegetables to fresh-baked bread from St. Joseph Abbey – each box came with a big, fat turkey and a $50 gift card so recipients could prepare those special, comfort-food dishes that make their family gatherings unique to them. Extra food was also included to last through the Thanksgiving weekend.

All together, each patient received about $150 worth of healthy food, but for people like patient Paul Dollar of Bogalusa, the real value of the gesture was less tangible.

“It’s awesome,” Mr. Dollar said. “I’ve got a friend of mine; he’s kind of enclosed, and I don’t have much in the way of Thanksgiving stuff to do, either. So I thought I’d come out and do something a little special for both me and him, so we both don’t have to be alone for Thanksgiving.”

He added: “Cancer kind of makes people realize what’s important.”

It wasn’t just patients expressing gratitude at Monday’s event. So were the cancer center employees who volunteered to load up cars.  

“We love when we can spend extra time doing something a little special for our patients,” St. Tammany Health System Nurse Practitioner Reneé Christman said. “They sure go through a lot, so anything we can do to bring some joy to them – and seeing them in this environment, not necessarily upstairs in a room – is really special for us, too.”

While cancer center employees got the privilege of distributing the boxes – with a few hugs and smiles thrown in for good measure – the event was made possible through the generosity of groups including St. Tammany Hospital Foundation, In Jesus’ Name Foundation, Bill Hood Chevrolet, Rouses Markets, Gallagher Insurance, and Jim and Mary Lee.

“Our new center is a truly integrative approach to cancer care, and nothing exemplifies that new discipline better than our experience today,” cancer center administrator Jack Khashou said. “We’re out here, feeding bellies and spirits at the same time. My staff is so uplifted, positively giddy, getting to give these generous boxes to their patients. And our patients and their families drive away happy with the groceries loaded right in their car to head home and relax for the holiday week.”

Boxes of food await distribution Monday during a Thanksgiving event at St. Tammany Cancer Center, a campus of Ochsner Medical Center. (Photo by Tim San Fillippo / STHS)

In all 80 boxes of food, and 80 turkeys to go with them, were distributed at Monday’s event at the cancer center in Covington. (Photo by Mike Scott / STHS

Members of the St. Tammany Cancer Center team pause for a photo during Monday's food giveaway. (Photo by Tim San Fillippo / STHS)

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