Daytona Beach, FL - Employees at Florida Hospital Medical Memorial Center (FHMMC) in Daytona Beach have recently collected 2,000 pounds of food to donate to local organizations to help feed area schoolchildren.
On April 23, the hospital announced that the non-perishable food donation would be provided to Halifax Urban Ministries and Food Brings Hope. Through these nonprofit organizations, local children who receive free and reduced-price lunch at school will also be provided with meals on the weekends.
“In our own community, there is a growing number of children on free or reduced lunch. Last year, nearly 65 percent of the school system’s 63,000 students were eligible for free or reduced lunch. This year, that number has grown, and nearly 75 percent of the school system’s kids now qualify,” said Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center CEO, Ed Noseworthy.
“These children can get breakfast and lunch while they are at school, but what happens when they go home? Many of them go home to empty pantries on Friday afternoon and don’t get another well-balanced meal until they return to school on Monday. This is why this food drive is so close to the hearts of our employees. We want to help the children battling food insecurity in our community, so they can come to school ready to learn,” said Noseworthy.
Employees at the hospital also donated 650 diapers to the Volusia County-based nonprofit organization Family Renew Community. The organization is dedicated to helping homeless parents find housing so that they can support their families.
Pictured above is FHMMC Center employees Tony Jenne and Sunny Somaroo loading the Halifax Urban Ministries’ truck with the donations.
(Pictured, from left to right, is Ed Noseworthy, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center CEO, and Buck James, Halifax Urban Ministries executive director)
(Halifax Urban Ministries' truck)
Photos courtesy FHMMC.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.
