Mount Laurel, NJ – Samaritan donors and volunteers will be continuing their yearly tradition of giving in 2023 with their 23rd annual Thanksgiving meal delivery, Giving Thanks, Preserving Memories on Saturday, November 18. This year, Samaritan was able to prepare 560 Thanksgiving meals for delivery to 140 Samaritan families throughout the local community, including those at Samaritan’s two inpatient hospice centers in Voorhees and Mount Holly.
Giving Thanks, Preserving Memories began in 2001 as an idea from Samaritan’s SamariTeens group as a creative way to give caregivers a break during the busy Thanksgiving holiday. The mission of this event is to lend a helping hand during the busy Thanksgiving holiday – providing delicious, prepared meals so that caregivers may spend quality time with their loved ones, instead of cooking or preparing for a Thanksgiving celebration.
What started with only 50 meals being prepared/delivered in 2001 has now grown into 560 meals in 2023. All meals were prepared by the DoubleTree by Hilton in Cherry Hill this year and delivered in carefully packed gift bags, which include: specially prepared turkey dinners, pies, cranberry sauce, candy, table runners or placemats, sparkling cider, craft table decorations created by the SamariTeens (Samaritan’s teen volunteer group), local area Brownie troops, school groups and community volunteers, and more.
Members of the media are invited to gather at the meal/gift bag prep site on the day of the delivery to see Samaritan staff and teen volunteers (14+ years old, primarily high schoolers with a few younger teens that are siblings) compile the meal packages and load the cars with gift bags for delivery to Samaritan patients and their families. Media can also interview event organizers and volunteers, as well as capture drivers as they leave to deliver the gift bags.
WHAT: Samaritan’s 2023 Giving Thanks, Preserving Memories Thanksgiving Meal Delivery
WHEN: Saturday, November 18, 2023
9:30-10:30 a.m.
LOCATION: DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly Crowne Plaza)
2349 West Marlton Pike (Route 70)
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
DETAILS:
ONSITE CONTACTS: Kathleen Long, Samaritan: (856) 952-7713 // [email protected]
About Samaritan:
Samaritan is a not-for-profit, independent organization locally founded in Moorestown, New Jersey in 1980 as one of the first hospices in the country. Samaritan is now one of the State’s leading providers of hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, at-home primary care, grief support and counseling, advanced illness care, education and advocacy. Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief wherever they call home. Samaritan also has two dedicated inpatient hospice centers in Voorhees and Mount Holly. Beyond the services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance plans, Samaritan annually provides nearly $1M in donor-funded non-reimbursed care for patients and families in the South Jersey region. A thrift shop in Westmont also supports Samaritan services and programs. Samaritan is accredited by The Joint Commission; a member of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation; and is a four-star hospice in the national We Honor Veterans program. For more information, visit www.SamaritanNJ.org.