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‘Tis the season of giving: Victory clinic shares Thanksgiving feast

Written By: Simone Sonnier, UT Physicians | Updated: November 24, 2021
Hector Ocho and staff member

Hector Ochoa, patient, and Laura Carranza, community health worker with UT Physicians, share a sweet moment while picking up his Thanksgiving feast. (Photo by Alyssa Duty, UT Physicians)

The UT Physicians Multispecialty – Victory clinic shares a close bond with the community they serve, something special and sometimes rare these days. On Friday, Nov. 19, the staff hosted their annual Thanksgiving feast giveaway — another heartfelt attempt to give back to their patients this holiday season.

Community health workers selected this year’s recipients based on information shared during their appointments. With many households experiencing hardships due to the pandemic, there was a great desire to help.

“These donations mean one less person we care for won’t go to bed hungry this Thanksgiving,” shared Latanya Sam, practice manager of the Victory clinic. “Many in our community have lost jobs and are experiencing financial strain right now.”

Ten families were gifted all the fixings you expect to see on the table for Thanksgiving — a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole ingredients, and of course, dessert. Although the wish was to help every patient in need, supplies were limited as employees purchased them with their own money.

The Victory clinic staff gathered around the donations they happily purchased for their patients in need
The Victory clinic staff gather around the donations they happily purchased for their patients in need. (Photo by Alyssa Duty, UT Physicians)

Hector Ochoa, a patient of the Victory clinic, was both grateful and surprised when collecting his donation box.

“This is the first time I’ve received something like this from a clinic,” he explained. “It’s going to help me a lot this holiday.”

This is the sixth consecutive year the clinic has gathered food for patients to celebrate Thanksgiving. Sam says they plan to continue this beloved tradition for many years to come.

“We’ve been blessed and it’s only fair we share that blessing with those we hold close to our hearts — our patients,” she said.

To schedule an appointment or learn additional information about the UT Physicians Multispecialty – Victory clinic, visit their page.

As the clinical practice of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, UT Physicians has locations across the Greater Houston area to serve the community. To schedule an appointment, call 888-4UT-DOCS.