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LAPLACE — As temperatures rise with the start of summer, the Knights of Columbus AOL Council 9623 and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office came together to bless a family in need with a new A/C unit.

Christopher Marcel and his wife recently welcomed a newborn baby boy, a silver lining in what has been a difficult time for their family. The Marcels navigated a high-risk pregnancy while still mourning the loss of their first son who was born sleeping. Near the end of the pregnancy, Kayla Marcel learned her job would not offer any paid maternity leave. Meanwhile, Chris had taken on a new job but had to take a pay cut in the process.

The family has made the most of every day, enjoying their new addition while trying to get back on their feet. Faced with a broken A/C unit, the Marcels were surprised to see members of the St. John Parish community come together to extend a helping hand.

“We got a call that a family had a newborn baby and didn’t have A/C in the house,” said Mike Abbate, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus Ascension of Our Lord Council 9623.

The Knights turned to social media to round up donations, and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office answered the call with the donation of a new window unit for the family. Abbate met Chris Marcel at his LaPlace home last week to help install the unit.

“That’s our duty as Knights of Columbus, to help the needy in our community. Anybody can call us. You’re not always going to be able to help everyone, but you do the best you can,” Abbate said.

The Marcels extended thanks to the Knights of Columbus and the St. John Sheriff’s Office for their act of kindness.

“We are very thankful that they were nice enough to come together and help us out so we won’t be trapped in this heat with our newborn,” Chris Marcel said. “It’s been hard with everything that’s been going on. We’re just trying to make it each day. The day they came out to install the window unit, I was shocked. It puts a smile on my face knowing there are still kind people out there.”