This month’s Jennie Day meal marked exactly four years since we lost Jen. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday, while other times it seems an eternity since we saw her face, heard her voice, or were the victims of her wit and sense of humor.
As has become customary, the July Jennie Day meal was BBQ style, with grilled hot dogs and hamburgers (our own special recipe – no frozen burgers!) with all the fixings, homemade macaroni and cheese, salad, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We’d like to thank Jen’s Aunt Patti and Uncle Arnie Lurie for sponsoring Jen’s anniversary meal.
This month we were also able to provide supplies for the Greater Hudson Valley Ronald McDonald House, newborn/baby clothes and gas and food gift cards for the families at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. We were also able to fulfill a special request from Mary Delany, Director of the Family Resource Center at MFCH, who told us the story of a little girl with a life-limiting genetic condition. Her parents lost an older sibling to the same condition, which usually results in a life expectancy of about 1 and a half years. This little girl was discharged from the hospital last week. Her fourth birthday is at the end of this month. Her mother has stayed with her at the hospital 24/7, while her father supported the family by making deliveries for a grocery store by bike in New York City, until he was injured after being struck by a car and could no longer work. The family had fallen behind on their utility bills during the hottest months of the year, and Mary reached out to us and asked if we could help. We were pleased to present Mary with a $400 check for the utility company on this family’s behalf, to help get them through this heartbreaking time.
Your support and generosity make this possible, along with the other assistance we’ve been able to provide so far this year:
– 7 monthly Jennie Day meals, feeding approximately 350 people at the Greater Hudson Valley Ronald McDonald House, and the families in the Maria Fareri Childrens Hospital’s PICU and oncology wards
– Sponsoring a total 80 days of the guest portion of a stay at both the Greater Hudson Valley and Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houses
– Over 60 sets of clothing for preemie, newborn, and baby patients at MFCH
– $1500 worth of gift cards for food, gas, and online shopping for MFCH, GHV and Philadelphia Ronald McDonald Houses
– 8 scholarships for local high school and culinary students, totaling $4000
None of this would be possible without your ongoing support, and we thank you for allowing us to keep Jen’s memory and spirit alive.