A Mt. Juliet nonprofit born from one family's loss is asking neighbors to help heart-failure families get through the holidays.

The Joe Beretta Foundation, headquartered in Mt. Juliet, began its holiday outreach in October. The foundation delivers gifts to families spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in hospital cardiac units, where patients can remain for weeks or months awaiting treatment.

Joe Beretta died of heart failure on July 2, 2016. His wife, Lillian Beretta, founded the organization that same year, basing it in Mt. Juliet near the Nashville hospital where he was treated. She serves as executive director.

During Joe Beretta's extended hospital stays, the family saw what most people never do. Other patients' families were sleeping in their cars. Some were losing their homes. Caregivers felt alone, and patients were ready to give up because they felt like a burden, according to the foundation.

Only a small share of hospitals nationwide can treat end-stage heart failure, according to the foundation. Patients often travel long distances, and their spouses and children follow, leaving behind paychecks and routines.

The foundation focuses on the non-medical side of that crisis: emergency housing, short-term financial help, heart-healthy meals, hospital visits and emotional support for patients and caregivers. It now partners with eight hospitals across three cities, including Nashville and Pittsburgh, according to its website.

By its own count, the foundation has served more than 1,500 people, provided more than 3,000 nights of lodging, served more than 1,500 heart-healthy meals and delivered more than 1,750 holiday gifts. It also reports helping more than 225 patients become eligible for life-saving treatment.

Mike Avery, a patient served by the foundation, described the experience in a testimonial on the foundation's website: "You've got a family to feed. You can't work. It takes everything you've got to get through it."

Lillian Beretta grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in New Jersey before moving to Mt. Juliet around 2014. She was named a "Mt. Juliet Mover" by the Chronicle of Mt. Juliet in an Oct. 4 feature.

Residents who want to help can sponsor holiday gifts, donate, volunteer, join the foundation's monthly giving program called The 25 Club or sign up as a prayer partner at tjbf.org. The 25 Club costs $25 per month, and the foundation says each membership helps provide one night of lodging every other month for a family in need.

Upcoming in Mt. Juliet

  • Holiday gift sponsorship: Sponsor gifts for heart-failure families at tjbf.org
  • Raven's Hollow: Gothic Halloween trail open in Mt. Juliet through the fall season
  • Musicologie: New music school opens Monday, Oct. 12 on N. Mt. Juliet Road