Firefighters 12th Annual Gift Delivery to Hennepin Healthcare Burn Center Patients

For the 12th year in a row, firefighters and volunteers spread some holiday cheer by delivering gifts to Hennepin Healthcare Burn Center patients and provided meals for the frontline staff.

The Burn Center at Hennepin Healthcare is nationally recognized for its expertise in treating burn patients of all ages. Staffed by specially trained burn care nurses and physicians, the inpatient unit and ambulatory care clinic provide comprehensive burn care to patients from throughout the Midwest. 

On the morning of December 21, wrapped gifts for each Burn Center patient arrived via fire trucks. As volunteers lined the sidewalk to wave to the patients peering from the 4th floor windows, nurses and staff waited curbside with carts ready to transport gifts from the rig to the Burn Unit.

Above, the prep. Below, the delivery.

What a group of amazing human beings!

“This annual tradition of bringing gifts to the Burn Center patients started the year I was a patient in 2010,” explains former Minneapolis firefighter and burn patient Jake LaFerriere who is the Founder and Executive Director of Firefighters For Healing. “My world changed overnight when I survived a backdraft explosion. Those who helped me through the darkest days were my family, close friends, the nurses and fire community. The first Christmas Blessing in 2010 was my way to thank the nurses and Burn Center teams for all they do. It was a blessing to me to be able to pay it forward. I wanted to provide the burn survivors and their families with a reason to smile and feel joy. It truly aligns with the reason for the season and helps families know they are not alone.”

“Helping families through the multiple stages of grief and healing is what we do. Each year as this gifting event has grown and impacted more families and new frontline staff, they repeatedly tell us that this simple act of kindness means the world to them,” said Jake LaFerriere. “Donating to Firefighters For Healing supports our mission to support burn survivor families and injured firefighters. Visit firefightersforhealing.org.”

Firefighters For Healing supports burn survivors and helps firefighters and first responders pivot after a line of duty injury by providing emergency housing and support.They meet and serve families 24/7 and 365 days a year from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. This non-profit 501(C)(3) charitable organization thrives on community partnerships, volunteer support and fundraising events.

If you're not familiar with Firefighters for Healing, here are two short videos that will introduce you to the founder, Jake LaFerriere, as well as one of their numerous achievements, the creation of Camp Red.