Hospice staff, volunteers prepare holiday feast
Volunteers and staff at Heyman HospiceCare at Floyd were bustling last Wednesday as they prepared Thanksgiving meals for families they serve – an act of giving that is now an annual tradition.
The assembly line that filled two rooms with food created about 176 plates, four for each family.
Each family gets two hot meals that include turkey or ham and sides of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing and a variety of casseroles. They also receive cold sides that include items such as deviled eggs and coleslaw and then a dessert.
The food is then packaged in carryout containers and shuttled out to families.
An added touch this year are handmade Christmas cards created by a group of women at Winthrop Court retirement center.
Many of the volunteers who help out have the event marked on the calendar. That was not the case for Julie Mathis, a first-timer.
“They called me last night because some volunteers could not make it,” Mathis said. “I was happy to come help.” Mathis brought Marvin Horn to the event. Horn lost his wife this year and said he came just to lend a hand.
Jayden Heath and Jocelyn Heath were the youngsters of the event, the children of Shelly Heath, a registered nurse at Heyman HospiceCare. Jayden directed traffic and stacked the takeout boxes while his sister helped dish out food.
“It’s fun,” said Jocelyn. “I like helping out.”
Heyman HospiceCare at Floyd provides comfort-oriented care to patients with a life expectancy of less than six months. It serves patients who live in Floyd, Chattooga, Polk, Bartow and Gordon counties.