NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – As most people enjoy Thanksgiving with their families, others go to work to protect their community.
Being a first responder can be a thankless job, but a New Orleans hotel is making sure police officers in the French Quarter are feeling appreciated this Thanksgiving.
The staff at Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans and their families spent a portion of their Thanksgiving delivering meals to NOPD officers in the Eighth District.
“We want to give back, and for all the days of the year our first responders, our police department, our fire department are there protecting not just us but our guests and our community, and so it’s really a way for us to come together as a team, bringing our families, and just really having a chance to say ‘thank you,’” Four Seasons New Orleans general manager Mali Carow said.
This is the first year the meals arrived at the police department’s doorsteps.
“So, we tried it last year, and we had the event at our garden at the hotel, but we realized all of our first responders are all so busy doing work this year, so we’ve taken our mission on the road, as you can say, and just coming there and delivering it personally to them while they’re at work at their stations,” Carow said.
Lieutenant Sam Palumbo, the assistant commander for the 8th District, says he and his fellow officers are appreciative of the food because normally, Thanksgiving at work isn’t so glamorous.
“Find a place that’s open and try and squeeze something in whereas here, everybody can kind of eat together, they can take their breaks together and enjoy it and kind of have a Thanksgiving amongst themselves,” Lt. Palumbo said.
Officers say this act of generosity is a testament of the support they receive from businesses in the French Quarter.
“It really means a lot to the officers who can’t be home with their families today on Thanksgiving,” Palumbo shared.
