November 17th, 2016 marked the Division of Adult Family Care and Shared Homes fall provider dinner. The theme this year was different from the Halloween theme of year’s past, when the dinner was held in October. This time the venue was decorated with a harvest theme, with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
Providers, individuals, and families enjoyed a Thanksgiving themed meal, which included some traditional items…turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce…along with butternut squash soup, and the ever-popular macaroni and cheese. The dessert table was overflowing as usual! It was fantastic to see families chatting over dinner, including many that had never attended a provider dinner before. Division staff even had to set up an extra table due to the high turnout!
This evening included an important informational session on smoke/carbon monoxide detectors given by Lt. John Gendron of the Leominster Fire Department. After our raffle drawing (facilitated by Case Manager Tim Lapointe, who gets everyone engaged and excited to participate!) several individuals and providers enjoyed karaoke. We heard performances by some of our karaoke “regulars” as well as a few new folks. There was a very relaxing, family-like atmosphere that could be felt throughout the evening.
The bi-annual dinners hosted by the Division of Adult Family Care and Shared Homes provide a great opportunity for families and home care providers to enjoy each other’s company, a great meal, and in many cases to discover resources that other families/providers utilize that they may have never encountered otherwise. This was truly an evening of family, feasting and fun!