December 5, 2024

Before many of us gathered around tables with our families for Thanksgiving, coworkers in our Community Care program hosted a special, early holiday feast for some of our former residents and their families. 

Community Care has a long tradition of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for its members, as former residents involved in the program are known. The custom originated from the need to provide dinner for former residents who had unstable housing. But today, it’s a time for all of our Community Care program members to stop by, enjoy a hearty meal, catch up with our coworkers, and have fun. 

“We all cooked to show our appreciation for them, trusting their lives with us and their situations,” said Community Care Care Manager Rhonda Murrell. “So, we all come together to break bread together.” 

Through our Community Care program, we keep our door open for former residents to come back and connect with a Mercy Home care manager who can direct them to resources throughout the community. 

“If anyone needs anything or is looking for other resources, we will help them with [that] and things that they need,” Murrell said. 

Like any Thanksgiving celebration, the theme of the dinner was gratitude. Accordingly, we invited every guest to say what they’re grateful for. 

“It was really nice to hear some members say that they’re thankful for Community Care. Thankful to be able to have this meal, and thankful to come back and see staff that they haven’t seen in a long time,” Murrell said. 

After dinner, Murrell reflected on how grateful she is to make an impact on our young people. 

“Working in Community Care and being able to continually see, reach out, help, and support members that have grown up, come back, and engage with us in the way they do, and knowing that we are going to be there for them, it’s just great!” Murrell said. 

While a number of members come back to the Home to check in with staff and celebrate the holiday, friends and volunteers like our Ambassadors of Mercy board helped us ensure that even more Community Care families would enjoy a special Thanksgiving celebration at their homes. Just before the holiday, our Ambassadors packed 130 meal kits for our Community Care families which we delivered to households throughout the city.   

Now with Christmas in view, Community Care is gearing up for their epic annual Christmas celebration at Mercy Home on December 12. Last year, over 500 members and their families attended, taking the opportunity to reconnect with their extended Mercy Home family. Guests enjoyed dinner, a donation area, a toy station, a photo booth, kiddie corner, and of course, a visit from our old friend Dreezy Claus, aka Chicago’s Black Santa.  

The holidays can be a stressful time for our residential youth and our Community Care members. But our coworkers will always be there to support them and share with them the ultimate gifts of appreciation, with the help we receive from generous donors. 

“The gifts [we will give to our members, their families, and youth], are our time, energy, love, and food,” Murrell said. 

We are so incredibly grateful for our coworkers at Community Care and all those who chipped in to make a dish, to give our members a heartfelt Thanksgiving experience.