Early on Saturday, March 26, volunteers will load up their vehicles with meals from Wade’s Restaurant. One-by-one, volunteers will hand deliver the meals to families who have a loved one receiving care from Spartanburg Regional Hospice.

For more than 20 years, Spartanburg Regional Foundation and Wade’s Restaurant in Spartanburg have partnered to help Hospice families by providing a special Easter meal through generous donations made to the foundation.

“The last months and weeks of an illness can be so challenging and stressful for our patients and families, and if we can make their lives a little easier, we want to do it,” said Kim Ross, director of Regional Hospice and Palliative Care. “For many of our families, this is the only way they will experience a special family meal this Easter.”

Holidays and family gatherings may go by the wayside when a family member is terminally ill. The Spartanburg Regional Foundation, part of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, helps ease the stress during these times and creates a memorable family experience with Easter Meals for Hospice patients.

“When a loved one is receiving hospital care, financial issues and the emotional strain brought on by an illness make it complicated to get family together,” said Kristy Caradori, executive director of the Spartanburg Regional Foundation. “Yet it’s important to create those family memories, and we want to help families during these times.”

The foundation encourages the community to make monetary donations towards the Easter Meals program. These donations will help provide meals from Wade’s Restaurant that can feed a family of 12 or more people.

Spartanburg Regional Hospice currently has 100 patients receiving hospice home care services. With these patients and their 12 guests, Wade’s helps provide more than 1,600 people with a holiday meal.

“When dealing with a loved one in Hospice, you may not want to prepare a fancy meal,” said Shelly Sinclair, Spartanburg Regional Foundation director of philanthropy. “We want them to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones. The Easter Meals allow the patients and their family to enjoy a nice meal that they do not have to stress about and can really focus on spending that quality time with their family.”

The Easter Meals are delivered to families the day before Easter. Wade’s employees prepare the meals that are then packaged by retired Duke Energy volunteers and delivered by Hospice volunteers. Each meal comes with directions on how to prepare the meals. The meals include a meat, sides, tea and dessert.

For more information on Easter Meals or to make a donation today, please visit RegionalFoundation.com.

-Submitted by Jessica Pickens