St. Joseph's General Hospital's cafeteria will feature free treats and live music next week in celebration of Pastoral Care Week.
From Monday to Friday, sweet treats, donated by local businesses, will be offered to staff, physicians and volunteers at the hospital as a show of appreciation for their efforts. Each day, a variety of well-known local musicians will play, donating their time for the event.
"Part of our mandate as pastoral care staff is to be caring for the patients, caring patients' families but also to be caring for the staff," says Steve Hill, hospital director of pastoral care and ethics. "And this is one of the creative ways that we try to take care of the staff by putting a smile on their face."
Musicians to be featured during the week are: Thomas Walton, Time for Uke, Dick Stuart, David Somers, Sue Pyper, Sue Medley, Indigo Jazz, Tammy Fassaert, Blaine Dunaway, Divertimento, Tracy Canil, Helen Austin, Anela and Anderson Jazz Syndicate.
Local businesses who donated to the appreciation event include: Time Hortons, Quality Foods, Hot Chocolates, Comox Valley Funeral Home, Fifth Street Florist and the Best Western Plus Westerly Hotel.
Hill notes the hospital has about 500 volunteers, 1,000 staff and 170 physicians. He points to the strong relationship between the Comox Valley community and the hospital, as he thanks everyone in the community who donated goods or services to make the week a special one.
"The community counts on the hospital to take good care of the community and its visitors when they come and the Comox Valley is still a small enough community that the people get it, that they want to take care of the hospital that takes care of them," says Hill. "I love that — there's a relationship of taking care of each other."
The treats and music will start at 10 a.m. each day in the Sisters Café. Also, there will be two draws per day to win boxes of truffles from Hot Chocolates.
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