Local Businesses Spread Holiday Cheer to Hope Hospice Patients

New Braunfels, TX, December 26, 2013 --(PR.com)-- A Canyon Lake man is likely facing his last months of life and all he wants for Christmas is to spend time with his family. Mr. Myers’ children and grandchildren are all coming home for Christmas and he and his wife wanted this Christmas to be a very special one for the whole family. Carol Irwin, owner of Buttermilk Café, and Mark Segovia, one of their lead chefs, are making sure of it. With all the food donated from the restaurant and Segovia volunteering his time to prepare and deliver the meal on Christmas day, the Myers family will be getting a real treat with a Christmas dinner for all twenty-one of them. This act of kindness enables the family to spend more time visiting with their husband, father and grandfather.

Hope Hospice has been experiencing many acts of kindness this season. Adobe Café and Sysco foods donated food and labor to the Hope Hospice Foundation Pearl Anniversary Gala, ensuring more funds raised would go straight to patient care. Home Instead, as they do annually, facilitated the adoption of a dozen Hope Hospice patients so those without friends and family nearby would get a Christmas gift.

Literally thousands of individuals, businesses and other organizations have made gifts of all sizes to the Hope Hospice Foundation this season. On behalf of families like the Myers, the Board, Staff and Volunteers extend their gratitude. Funds raised are used to support Hope’s programs and services, primarily the Children’s Grief Program and the Community Assistance Program that assists under- and un-insured patients, most of whom are working-age professionals whose illnesses caused them to lose their jobs and, therefore, their insurance.

Donations may be made year-round through the Hope Hospice website.

Hope Hospice is the oldest operating not for profit hospice in the central Texas area between San Antonio and Austin. Hope offers patients the opportunity to take control of their care plan and together with their families make the most of their lives when facing the last months of a life-limiting illness. Patients and families are provided a full team of support including physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers to manage pain and symptoms, connect families with available resources and offer emotional and spiritual support. Families are shown how to complete necessary care giving tasks and educated on what to do in a variety of common situations. This education gives them the confidence and skills to keep their loved one at home in the most comfortable setting possible.

Hope Hospice serves Bexar, Blanco, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Travis and Wilson counties. Bereavement services are available to families of Hope Hospice patients as well as our neighbors within our service area. Available services include individual and family counseling, support groups, memorial services and a Children’s Grief Program complete with family activities and camps throughout the year.

Hope Hospice is proud to have the support of over 200 volunteers. Volunteers serve in the areas of Bereavement programming, patient care, administration, Thrift Shop, and fundraising. Those who provide companionship visits to patients first complete 25 hours of training in an 8-week training program.