Dietary Supervisor Felicia Foster: Making days brighter

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Felicia Foster’s reason for working at Homeland Center for 25 years is simple: The residents.

“I love the residents,” she said. “You feel so close to them.”

Foster is a Homeland dietary supervisor, responsible for ensuring that lunch and dinner are served fresh, on time, and delicious.

Her philosophy is to treat residents “as your own grandparents. That’s how I see it, because you never know when somebody is going to take on your grandparents.”

She joined Homeland in March 2005 as a night cook and pantry aide, having previously supervised a fast-food restaurant. As Foster took on other roles in Homeland’s kitchen, she made herself into a “jack-of-all-trades.”

Foster was aware of Homeland long before she walked in the door. Her great-grandmother on her father’s side was a caterer who once worked at Homeland and for the Kunkel family, prominent benefactors of Homeland.

Cooking is “a commonsense thing” to her. She asked questions and learned to cook the Homeland way, especially remembering to stay true to the recipes and make sure that the dishes the residents love taste the same every time they’re served.

“When you’re making a lot of things, everything has to stay consistent,” she said. Residents’ favorite dishes include pasta, soups, and salads.

Around 2015, Foster started developing into a dietary supervisor. She no longer cooks entrees, but she’ll help with desserts. On a recent Wednesday, she taught a cook how to make icing.

“I like to bake cakes and muffins,’’ she said. “I make different desserts, so I can be more creative.”

There have only been a couple of baking missteps.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Foster came to Harrisburg when her stepfather got a job at the New Cumberland Army Depot. Today, the proud mom of two still lives in Harrisburg, within walking distance of Homeland, in a home where she enjoys gardening and doing the fixing up.

Her son is a shoe warehouse supervisor, and her daughter followed Foster’s culinary footsteps, being recently promoted to manager for a caterer serving the state capitol.

At Homeland, the moments Foster loves best come when she visits residents.

“You try to talk to them and make their day better,” she said. “You just get some information to see what their mindset is and maybe change it. They can have a bad day and come into the dining room, and you can change their mindset and make their day better. Some people make my day, and they change me for the better. I get a little laugh. The residents make my day. They really do.”

Homeland Center (www.homelandcenter.org) offers levels of care including personal care, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation. Homeland also provides hospice, home care, home health and palliative care services to serve the diverse and changing needs of families throughout central Pennsylvania. For more information or to arrange a tour, please call 717-221-7900.

Hospice Volunteer Tom Barry’s Life of Service

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Tom Barry of Harrisburg has lived a life of service through his military career and now as a Homeland volunteer. He brings his love of our country and joy of helping others to honor veterans receiving care through Homeland Hospice, a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania.

For Tom, volunteering with Homeland is an opportunity to thank the organization who helped his family during his wife’s end-of-life journey. Tom’s wife died two years ago after a courageous eight-year battle with cancer. Tom cared for her for 11 months and needed additional support to keep her comfortable during her final three weeks of life.

For Tom and his family, Homeland Hospice was a Godsend.

“I know both sides of the equation,” Tom says. “I understand the pain both patients and families feel.”

Tom actively participates in Homeland’s We Honor Veterans program, created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program works to improve the quality of health care for all veterans. Tom proudly wears his Army cap when he accompanies Homeland Chaplain Todd Carver to personally honor veterans with a special pin and certificate.

“The pinning ceremonies are very moving for patients and their families,” Tom adds. “I fondly remember a ceremony with three generations of family members in attendance.”

Tom also volunteers with Homeland Center’s Vet to Vet Café, which is an extension of the We Honor Veterans program. Through the Vet to Vet Café, veterans and family members of those who served have a chance to talk and share their memories. The monthly gatherings, held in Homeland Center’s 1950s-style Olewine Diner, offers these residents an opportunity to connect with others who understand the camaraderie and sacrifices of military service.

Tom appreciates this sacred time as it offers a safe space for veterans to share their grief over the loss of their military friends and remember a time when they were young with dreams of their futures. The group always recites the Pledge of Alliance, sings patriotic songs and reviews a presentation of historic events.

“People can be hesitant to share in the beginning,” Tom says, “but we ask them questions to help them feel comfortable about opening up to talk about themselves.”

Tom’s military service began when he entered the United States Army ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) while he was attending Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. Following college, he served with an attack helicopter squad for three years and as a Company Commander in the 2nd Army Division.

Following his military tenure, he began his career with Pepsi which took him around the country five different times as he managed fleets. He has been retired for nine years and enjoys time with his children and grandchildren.

Tom enjoys filling his days with service to others as it fills his heart with happiness and peace.

“The good you give is returned to you seven-fold,” Tom adds. “I am proud to do my part for an organization that helped me so much.”

To learn more, please contact Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.