Sanctuary Hospice House provides end of life care regardless of patient’s ability to pay

Tupelo ministry will hold its biggest fundraiser of the year, with "Celebration Village"

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – For families with loved ones who have a terminal illness, choosing end-of-life care can be a daunting task.

“This is a busy highway, Number 6, and we all drive by here,  a lot of times and see the yellow house and we have no idea what it’s about, it is a wonderful place,” said Jeff Ware.

“All the way down from social worker, to the aides, to nursing staff, excellent care for Dad and family, also made ones visiting him really feel welcomed,” Ware said.

Jerry Ware lived in Tishomingo, about an hour away from his son Jeff.  For years, Jerry was an ironworker, known for his hard work and love for his family and his strong Christian faith.

“We were able to be in the room with my Dad and let him know we loved him, that was very special to us as a  family,” Ware said.

Last year Sanctuary Hospice House provided compassionate, end-of-life care for more than 500 patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

Of course, it takes a lot of resources to do that.  So, this week the ministry is holding its biggest fundraiser of the year.  The Christmas marketplace is known as “Celebration Village.”

” V.M. Cleveland who owns the Furniture Market allows us to have full reign of Building Five, and we have over 350 vendors, everything from clothes, jewelry, furniture, antiques, admission fee, you can shop till you drop.  All proceeds to go Sanctuary Hospice House,” said Sanctuary Hospice House CEO Harold Plunkett.

The annual budget for Sanctuary Hospice House is $1.5 million.  But Jeff Ware says you can’t put a price on the care and compassion his Dad and family received.

“When you know it’s close to the end of your loved one’s life, and you’re struggling with that anyway.  And they just make you feel comfortable. Just like you are at home,” Ware said.

Celebration Village starts Wednesday night with a Preview Party.   Then regular hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  For more information on hours and ticket prices, go to secure.paperlesstrans.com/celebrationvillage