They came, and they came in numbers.
In all, there were 125 of them: 125 care packages filled with all the ingredients for a full family holiday meal, destined for the homes of 125 local cancer patients – and, 125 times over, representing the generosity of the Northshore community.
Each of those holiday food packages – which were made possible through the generosity of The IJN Foundation (In Jesus’ Name), Northshore Food Bank, and assembled with the help of volunteers and students at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mandeville – were distributed to qualifying patients at St. Tammany Cancer Center, A Campus of Ochsner Center.
In that regard, the distribution was a true community effort.
“This is about meeting people where they are and reminding them that they are not alone,” said Steve Tujague of The IJN Foundation. “We offer these meals as a holiday blessing, in Jesus’ name, with the hope that they bring comfort, nourishment and a sense of love to families in our community who are facing cancer during this special time of year.”
The Rev. Robert Cooper, pastor at Mary, Queen of Peace, added: “It has been such a blessing for our Mary, Queen of Peace Parish family to take part in assisting with Christmas boxes for the cancer patients served by the cancer center. May each person who receives these boxes feel the love and compassion of Christ poured out through the hands of those who give and serve with generous hearts.”
It’s an annual tradition at the center, which caters to its patients’ nutritional needs all year. But the generosity of the community during the holidays this year reached new heights, said Kathleen Thomas of St. Tammany Health Foundation, which harnesses and organizes that outpouring of love every year.
And that, Thomas said, shouldn’t surprise anyone.
“Each of these boxes you’re looking at represents not just a meal, but a message of care and hope to our patients and their families during this season,” she said, surrounded by stacks of food packages awaiting distribution. “We have been doing this every year for a long time, and the kindness and support of our Northshore community – which makes the holidays a little brighter for our patients – never ceases to amaze me.”