Temple Health employees have continued a tradition of preparing and serving home-cooked Thanksgiving meals for patients in the Behavioral Health units at both TUH-Episcopal Campus and Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital. This initiative, led by Senior Nurse Manager Wendy Campbell, aims to support patients during the holidays, a time that can be particularly challenging for those without family or outside support.
Campbell began this practice before joining Temple Health and brought it with her to Episcopal in 2018. The tradition has grown from staff bringing a few dishes to providing a full Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rice and beans, cranberry sauce, five cheese mac ‘n cheese, salad, and various pies.
“The holidays can be a difficult time for Behavioral Health patients, especially those who don’t have family or support systems outside the hospital,” Campbell said. “Receiving a home-cooked meal helps patients realize they’re not alone: we’re here, and we care about them.”
Darnell Harris, an Episcopal Mental Health Technician known for his mac ‘n cheese dish, added: “The response is so heartwarming. Our patients always look forward to it, and when new staff come on the units, they make sure they know, ‘We’re going to be getting a home-cooked meal!’”
After moving to Chestnut Hill Hospital to oversee its Senior Behavioral Health Unit, Campbell continued the tradition there as well. “Everyone at Chestnut Hill was so happy to do this,” she said. “They knew the impact it was going to have on our patients, and they said they’d never seen such a positive response. Two of our visitors even told us, ‘My mom can’t stop talking about what you did for Thanksgiving.’”
Campbell emphasized that this effort is part of Temple’s holistic approach to behavioral health care. “We’re not just cooking a meal,” she explained. “It’s part of creating a therapeutic environment. To heal, your mind and body need to feel safe and secure, and we want to do everything we can to make that happen. A homemade Thanksgiving meal lets our patients know, ‘You might be away from home, but you’re still loved.’”
Both staff and patients look forward to continuing this annual tradition as part of their efforts to foster compassion and holiday spirit within the behavioral health community.
