Baptist Hosts Tree of Faith, Hope & Love Event for the Homeless

Baptist Memorial Health Care and Christ Community Health Services hosted the annual Tree of Faith, Hope & Love holiday luncheon for 170 individuals experiencing homelessness on Friday, Dec. 13 at Memphis First United Methodist Church. Attendees were regular patients of Baptist Operation Outreach, a clinic that delivers free medical care to more than 1,300 individuals experiencing homelessness.

At the festive event, 41 volunteers served a hot meal and distributed backpacks filled with essential winter items, including socks, thermal undergarments, gloves, hats, scarves and toiletry kits. The backpacks, provided by Baptist, Christ Community and their employees, will help attendees stay warm during the winter season. After enjoying a meal of turkey, macaroni and cheese, green beans, sweet potatoes and a slice of cake, attendees could listen to Christmas music while writing holiday cards to loved ones.

“The Tree of Faith, Hope & Love is an annual event for Baptist Operation Outreach patients, and we look forward to it every year,” said Keith Norman, vice president and chief government affairs/community relations officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care. “This event brings joy to our patients and is another way for us to care for their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.”

Many kind volunteers helped to make the Tree of Faith, Hope & Love holiday event a success. On Thursday, Dec. 12, 20 volunteers sorted and packed 300 backpacks at the packing party at Baptist Health Sciences University Gym. Backpacks that were not distributed at the holiday event will be distributed to shelters.

Baptist Memorial Health Care has been providing free health care to Memphis’ homeless community since 1997. In 2005, Baptist Memorial Health Care joined with Christ Community Health Services to officially start the Baptist Operation Outreach mobile clinic for the homeless, which has since expanded to include a location in Catholic Charities of West Tennessee. Today, Baptist Operation Outreach is one of the largest providers of free medical care for the homeless in Shelby County.

Thank you to Baptist team members who have donated through the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation to Baptist Operation Outreach Tree of Faith, Hope & Love! For more information about Baptist Operation Outreach, click here.

Team members can still donate throughout the year to help make events like Tree of Faith, Hope & Love possible for one of our most vulnerable populations. Click here to learn more about donating to Baptist Operation Outreach.