Emergency Workers Christmas Appreciation Meal receives overwhelming response

Published 11:58 am Wednesday, December 30, 2020

: Volunteers with the annual Emergency Workers Christmas Appreciation Meal unload donated food items Christmas evening. (Tim Reeves/The Vicksburg Post)

Christmas Day was cold, but the frosty temperatures did not in any way impact the warm meals of the Emergency Workers Christmas Appreciation Meal.

“It was so cold, but everything turned out perfect,” event organizer Erin Hern said. “We had plenty of food. Most everyone showed up with their items, everyone wore masks and no one got out of their car except for those who would be delivering.”

This marked the seventh year the Emergency Workers Christmas Appreciation Meal has been organized as a thank you from the community to first responders and frontline medical workers.

The outreach program, in which food is collected, put together in large meals, and then delivered on Christmas to first responders, was initiated by Hern after she learned about a similar event a friend in Starkville had organized.

This year, with the added burden frontline medical workers have had to deal with due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hern said the outpouring from the community was very generous. Food was dropped off at Medical Associates in Vicksburg and then distributed to first responders across Warren County.

In addition to those who have received meals in the past, which included the Vicksburg Police Department, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, stations with the Vicksburg Fire Department, 911 dispatchers and the emergency room at Merit Health River Region, there were enough donations so food could be provided to those working on the hospital’s fourth and fifth floors as well as the Intensive Care Unit.

“The fifth floor is the COVID floor and all the staff is so overworked,” Hern said.

And it felt good to be able to give something back to those who are sacrificing so much, she said.

“In my opinion, this year was a little extra special for everybody, and it was definitely needed because these are the ones that have been in the thick of it,” Hern said.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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