Sacred Heart Thanksgiving Basket Project provides dinner for hundreds of local families

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Every year since 1979, dedicated PeaceHealth caregivers have organized a collection drive to provide all the ingredients for a full Thanksgiving dinner for hundreds of families facing financial, medical or other challenges. It is a months-long, PeaceHealth Mission-inspired effort that demands hundreds of volunteer hours and thousands of donated dollars. The project is one of PeaceHealth’s most cherished traditions in Lane County. 

This year PeaceHealth will give away 800 Thanksgiving Baskets to families who have been referred by caregivers, charitable organizations and community members. 

On Tuesday, Nov. 21, these local families, who have been notified in advance, will receive all the items for their Thanksgiving feast, including a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy mix, canned yams, cranberry sauce, other fruits and vegetables and a pumpkin pie.

Distribution will take place outside the surgery entrance at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.

“There continues to be a great need for Thanksgiving Baskets in our community,” said Tina Noland, who has volunteered with the program for the past 15 years. She is supply chain manager for PeaceHealth Oregon network. “Every year our caregivers and community respond to that need with tremendous generosity. Over 300 volunteers and donors have offered their time and money this year to ensure that 800 families in our community can enjoy a special holiday meal.”

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Washington, is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a medical group practice with more than 1,100 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org. 

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