The Rehabilitation Department at Ortho Rhode Island’s West Bay location added PBJ to their TLC on Friday, March 22, making packed lunches with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for homeless Rhode Islanders. The lunches will be distributed around Providence, and to two local shelters and a soup kitchen.
The effort, organized by Cheryl Louth, PTA, was part of Sandwich Party Sunday, a charitable movement founded in 2018 by native Rhode Islander Scott James that encourages people to throw sandwich-making “parties” on the last Sunday of each month to help the homeless in their local communities. Louth viewed hosting one of these parties as a chance to raise awareness of homelessness in the Ocean State.
“Having food to eat and a place to sleep is often taken for granted,” she said. “Initiating our first Sandwich Party Sunday is a great opportunity to support those in need.”
Though it was held on a Friday, Ortho Rhode Island’s first Sandwich Party Sunday was a success worth savoring. The West Bay community rallied around the event, and the production process went smoothly, assembling 250 packed lunches – each containing two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one bag of chips, cookies, a napkin, and an 8-ounce bottle of water – in just over ninety minutes.
“The generosity from the staff, volunteers and contributors was especially rewarding. We would like to thank the many local supermarkets for their generous donations. Also, thank you to the Ortho RI West Bay rehab team for their hard work and support,” Louth said.
Louth and company hope to organize more parties in the future, enabling the staff at Ortho Rhode Island West Bay to continue to do what matters most to them – care for the people of Rhode Island.
“As therapists, treating people with dignity, respect and kindness is what we do every day,” Louth said. “This is just another way of doing it.”
To learn more about the Sandwich Party Sunday movement, visit sandwichpartysunday.com.
