TAMC staff take time to give back
over Thanksgiving
In keeping with the Thanksgiving holiday and all that it means, staff at TAMC supported some key projects that provide meals and friendly support to some very special groups of people.
Contributed photo
STAFF AT TAMC’S County Dialysis Center partnered with Country Farms Market to provide the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal to each of the center’s 50 dialysis patients and their families. Among those receiving a dinner were, seated, dialysis patient Gary Silsbee of Caribou and his wife, Audrey. Presenting the meals were, standing from left, Mark Kelley, owner of Country Farms Market in Washburn; Mike Gallagher, owner of Country Farms Market in Easton; and County Dialysis staff Brigitte Dupont, Kristina McEwen, Lorena Sullivan, Laverne Bubar, Chelsea Adams and Pam Frank, manager.
“Thanksgiving is a time for being thankful for all that we have and a time for giving back to the community and helping others,” said Sylvia Getman, TAMC president and CEO. “I am proud of what we are able to do as an organization, as well as of all the wonderful efforts our employees support on their own now and throughout the year. When I count my blessings over the holidays, one of them is certainly the people that work with me in this mission of caring.”
Each year, patients of TAMC’s County Dialysis Center receive a Thanksgiving Dinner gift basket with all the fixings for their holiday meal, including the turkey, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, rolls and even a pie for dessert. This year, the number of dialysis patients and their families receiving their Thanksgiving meal was 50.
“We have a special relationship with our patients, since we see them several times a week, usually for a period of years,” said Pamela Frank, manager of County Dialysis Center. “Our patients face a lot of daily challenges with dietary restrictions and financial burdens related to their health. We are privileged to be able to know these individuals, and this is one small way we can make their lives a little easier.”
The Thanksgiving Give-Away project is made possible through the generosity of TAMC employees and community donors. Among the community donors supporting the cause are Mark Kelley, owner of Country Farms Market in Washburn, and Mike Gallagher, owner of Country Farms Market in Easton. The duo provided the boxed items for the meal at their cost. They make several trips to the County Dialysis Center at TAMC’s North Street Healthcare in Presque Isle in the days leading up to Thanksgiving to deliver the frozen turkeys and boxes filled with trimmings to employees, who in turn hand them out to patients.
In the 13 years since the turkey basket project began, nearly 675 complete holiday meals have been given to County families with loved ones undergoing dialysis treatment.
In addition to this ongoing effort, the staff of TAMC’s Crown Emergency Care has partnered with the members of the Hayward-Frazier VFW Post 2599 in Presque Isle for the past three years to deliver hot holiday meals to veterans in local assisted living facilities and nursing homes. This year marked the largest effort to date, with the Presque Isle Fire Department joining in to help fill the meal boxes at the VFW.
The meals were prepared and delivered on Sunday, Nov. 22 to veterans living in the Presque Isle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Leisure Gardens & Village. Crown staff also played a part in filling the stomachs and hearts at the VFW Post by serving meals to the community that came out to eat and support their local vets.
“At Crown Emergency Care we are proud of the veterans that serve in our ranks. This distinguished group is constantly seeking out ways to integrate service to the local Veteran community into their daily work,” said Benjamin Everett, ambulance service supervisor for Crown Emergency Care, who is himself a veteran.
“Our continued annual partnership with the local VFW post to deliver hot holiday meals to vets right here in our hometown is both an honorable and rewarding undertaking that continues to grow every year,” he added.
Staff from Crown Emergency Care teamed up again with the PI Fire Department on Thanksgiving Day to help serve over 300 meals at the Presque Isle Wesleyan Church.
