OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A simple act of kindness can do wonders for the soul.
HCA Florida Ocala and HCA West Marion’s generosity is making a big difference in tackling food insecurity. On Jan. 22, 2025, the hospitals presented a $10,000 donation to Interfaith Emergency Services to help those struggling with hunger in the community.
This initiative stemmed from the HCA 2024 Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive. HCA hospitals nationwide were invited to create artwork from food donations, with winners in each division earning a $10,000 grant for a local food bank. HCA Florida Ocala Hospital won for the North Florida Division and chose Interfaith Emergency Services as their beneficiary.
“We are just overwhelmed with gratitude, not just for this donation, but for the things they do for us on an ongoing basis—food drives and coat drives,” said Karla Greenway, CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services. “They’re here to care for our community, and the fact that they help us and also care for the community is a statement of who they are.”
Food insecurity affects millions nationwide, with 13.5% of U.S. households experiencing it in 2023, up from 12.8% in 2022, according to the USDA. The $10,000 donation will allow Interfaith Emergency Services to purchase 360,000 pounds of food and sustain their food distribution ministry for five months.
“The day that we got the word that we were going to get this $10,000 check,” said Greenway. “That $10,000 check, we’re not just going to buy food with that, that’s going to allow us to operate our food distribution ministry for five months. That’s incredible.”
HCA Florida Ocala’s winning food sculpture—a turkey made from 2,000 pounds of food—was a collaborative effort.
“Our hospital held a food drive where we were able to donate 2,000 pounds of food to Interfaith,” said Haley Garr, HCA Florida Ocala nurse manager. “As a team-building activity, our nursing leadership team constructed a turkey that we were entering into a contest amongst all of our hospitals to see who could win a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice.”
The project required sorting food by can size and color, assembling the structure in two hours. “I’m just happy that we got to participate in this, and we were able to win the competition,” said Nicola Gaskin, HCA Florida Ocala nurse manager. “HCA’s motto is ‘We Show Up.'”
Beyond food drives, HCA Florida Ocala and West Marion lead several community initiatives. “We like to do different community service projects,” Garr shared. “Our team is able to identify what they want to do, and then we, as the leaders, kind of help them spearhead it. They decided they thought it would be beneficial if we could go through and collect jackets, blankets, and various things like that, to keep the community warm. We were able to get five large tote bins to bring here.”
HCA’s partnership with Interfaith highlights the importance of community action.
“We work with Interfaith,” said Garr. “We do a lot of community service through them. The food drive every year comes to Interfaith, the clothing and blanket drive came to Interfaith, and the ‘We Show Up Day’ that the hospital does yearly.”