Doctors Hospital’s community food drive proved a success, Thursday. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. the hospital welcomed donors in a drive-through drop-off just outside the Vascular, Lung & Heart Center building.
The hospital, or “the house” as it is referred to by staff, already has an internal community food bank. The facility coordinated the drive to gather donations for the Golden Harvest Food Bank, with the aim of collecting some 500 pounds of food, to provide 400 meals.
“We’ve had a good turnout,” said director of marketing Lindsay Black. By noon on Thursday, the house had met 80% of its goal.
Outreach for the drive emphasized “most-wanted” non-perishable items, canned goods with low-sodium and no added sugar.
“Golden Harvest actually provided a list of the food items to us,” said Liz Steward, clinical nutrition manager at Doctors Hospital. “But it’s important to provide options for vegetables and whole grains… to provide access to healthy options for those facing hunger issues.”
After inaugurating the drive, Black said that Doctors Hospital would look forward to organizing a similar event drawing from the hospital’s collection.
“This is our first year, donating to Golden Harvest and doing a food bank,” she said. “We’re so excited to do that today so we can help collect healthy food and improve our community.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
