Elgin hospitals join to collect food for pantries
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Sherman and Provena St. Joseph hospitals partnered to collect nonperishable food items for Feeding Greater Elgin and other local food pantries.
Together, the hospitals collected approximately 800 pounds of food from both hospital staff and visitors.
The hospital-based food drives were part of a citywide initiative to collect as much food as possible between Jan. 8-15, the week leading up to Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
The food drive was initiated by the city of Elgin Human Relations Commission to respond to recent statistics that 25 percent of kids in Elgin are living at poverty level. Several Elgin organizations took part in this effort.
“As a community-based health system, Sherman Health is dedicated to giving back to the communities we serve,” said Rick Floyd, president and CEO, Sherman Health.
“We were thrilled to take part in this important citywide initiative, and are proud of the generosity expressed by the entire Sherman family.”
Provena St. Joseph Hospital's president and CEO, Eugene McMahon, added, “Our Diversity Council realized that hunger recognizes no age, ethnic, racial or religious boundaries and jumped at the chance to join forces with area groups lending a hand to those less fortunate, encouraging a generous response from all hospital staff.”
The donated food items were collected by members of the Elgin Youth Leadership Academy.
For information, contact Michelle Kustra, marketing coordinator, Sherman Health, at (224) 783-8427 or michelle.kustra@shermanhospital.org.