Photos and article by Shirin McArthur
Ambercare Prepares Thanksgiving gifts 112015
Ambercare Prepares Thanksgiving gifts 112015
From left, Ambercare employees Louise Ortega and Gina Aralica and volunteer Carmen S. Gonzalez fill bags with food
Ambercare Prepares Thanksgiving gifts 112015
Ambercare staff member Maricia Hernandez holds up one of the donated turkeys
Ambercare Prepares Thanksgiving gifts 112015
Hernandez seals cards; Aralica writes notes; and Ortega prepares ribbon for attaching them to the bags
Ambercare Prepares Thanksgiving gifts 112015
Hernandez and Ortega attach the cards to the bags
Just in time for Thanksgiving, staff and volunteers from the Ambercare Silver City office filled bags on Friday with food and gifts for ten clients and their families who live in southwestern New Mexico. Everything from turkey and stuffing to vegetables and pie have been donated by Ambercare staff members in Silver City, Deming and Lordsburg.
Nurses and other staff who have direct contact with Ambercare clients nominated the families to receive these gifts. Two families in Silver City, four families in Deming and four families in Lordsburg will receive the bags. Silver City staff members will deliver the gifts to the families here and in Lordsburg, while the Deming Ambercare office will distribute gifts to the families there.
Carmen S. Gonzalez, who has been a hospice volunteer since 1991, helped to fill the bags. She loves to spend time with hospice clients and their families, noting that it is often the children of patients that most need someone to talk to. “I tell them not to be afraid,†she says. Yes, it's a painful time, but she tells family members to let go, because their loved ones are often in pain and no longer have good quality of life.
In addition to filling bags with foods, Gina Aralica, Ambercare's administrative assistant, hand-wrote cards to each family. The cards read, “With sincere appreciation and admiration, we thank you.†Maricia Hernandez, Ambercare's community liaison, says that these Thanksgiving bags are not a donation to the needy, but rather an opportunity for Ambercare staff to express gratitude to the people they serve.
Louise Ortega, a social worker for Ambercare, will deliver the bags to families in Silver City and Lordsburg on Monday and Tuesday of next week—just in time for Thanksgiving.
Ambercare brings healthcare services into homes all over New Mexico through over 2,200 full-time employees around the state. They also have a group of about 100 active volunteers who provide respite care for families who need a break from caregiving for family members in the last stages of life. For information on volunteering, contact Louise Ortega at the Ambercare office: 575.388.1395.