NFH colleagues meet goal to feed 50,000 for the hospital's 50th anniversary keyboard_arrow_right

HCA Florida North Florida Hospital announced today that hospital colleagues successfully fundraised to provide 50,000 meals for those in need through Bread of the Mighty Food Bank in honor of the hospital's 50^th anniversary. HCA Florida North Florida Hospital colleagues held a check presentation and volunteer day at Bread of the Mighty Food Bank's distribution center on Tuesday, Dec. 19^th in honor of this accomplishment and to formally conclude the 50^th anniversary celebrations.

Addressing food insecurity in our local community is one of the main focus areas for the hospital's community engagement impact initiatives. Throughout the year, HCA Florida North Florida Hospital colleagues from various departments came together to fundraise through bake sales, silent auctions and t-shirt sales to raise enough money to reach this goal.

"At HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, we show up for our community, and this inspiring team effort is just one of the countless examples of that," said C. Eric Lawson, chief executive officer of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. "To quote one of our founding physicians, Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., 'Bricks and mortar do not make a hospital, people do.' Our colleagues truly demonstrated what it means to care like family by providing healthier tomorrows for our community."

According to the US. Department of Agriculture, one in nine Americans lack consistent access to nutritious food. Food insecurity is associated with increased risk for multiple chronic health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease and mental health disorders. For many years, HCA Florida North Florida Hospital has partnered with Bread of the Mighty Food Bank on multiple initiatives, most recently the annual Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food Drive. Since 2021, HCA Florida North Florida Hospital colleagues have donated more than 3,631 pounds of food to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, equating to thousands of meals provided for the north central Florida community.

"We are deeply grateful for the partnership with HCA Florida North Florida Hospital," said Patrick Dodds, executive director of Bread of the Mighty Food Bank. "HCA Florida Healthcare's commitment to fighting hunger aligns perfectly with our mission and their generous donation ensures that everyone in our community has the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with a full and happy heart. We're proud to be community partners and celebrate their 50 years with this act of generosity."

The Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive was initially launched in HCA Healthcare's North Texas Division in 2020 and expanded in 2021 to become an enterprise-wide initiative. In 2022, HCA Healthcare colleagues provided more than 345,000 nutritious meals and the HCA Healthcare Foundation provided $175,000 in funds to support the related nonprofit organizations.