St. Elizabeth Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Physicians have committed to donating $400,000 over the next four years to address food insecurity in Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. Organizations benefiting from this donation include GO Pantry, Master Provisions, Freestore Foodbank and Last Mile Food Rescue.
“Everyone deserves access to nutritious foods to maintain their overall health and well-being,” said Garren Colvin, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “This $400,000 donation represents families fed. These are our friends, families and neighbors. It is a privilege for us to work alongside local organizations devoted to caring for their well-being.”
GO Pantry is a local non-profit that provides food for school children and their families year-round. As part of its annual initiative, St. Elizabeth associates gave more than $180,000 in food and cash donations in May 2021 to feed families in need throughout the summer months.
“People are often surprised by the level of food insecurity in our community,” said Laura Dumancic, Executive Director of GoPantry. “Working with over 50 local schools, we can tell you with certainty there are kids in every school fighting a daily battle against hunger. This additional donation from St. Elizabeth exemplifies just how committed they are to providing help for our community kids in need.”
“St. Elizabeth associates have a compassionate heart for the underserved in our communities, especially when those impacted are children,” said Jacob Bast, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of St. Elizabeth Physicians. “Our System’s additional donations to address food insecurity in our region demonstrates our commitment to the programs that St. Elizabeth associates believe in and support.”
Master Provisions, which serves more than 67,000 people in Greater Cincinnati by distributing fresh, frozen and canned goods, drinks and other items every month, shared how this financial pledge supports their mission.
“We show Christ’s love in tangible ways, collaborating daily with nonprofit partners like St. Elizabeth to meet needs for friends and neighbors in our communities facing food insecurity challenges,” said Roger Babik, President of Master Provisions.
The St. Elizabeth contribution to Freestore Foodbank supports its ongoing campaign to end hunger in our region, which provides 37.7 million meals each year through 540 community agencies in 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
“Freestore Foodbank is grateful to have partners like St. Elizabeth who have joined with us in our transformational ‘Growing Beyond Hunger’ campaign so that our neighbors and friends facing illness and chronic health conditions have access to fresh, healthy foods that will allow them to grow beyond hunger,” said Kurt Reiber, President and CEO of Freestore Foodbank. “Together we look to create a hunger-free, healthy and thriving community!”
Photo from Last Mile Food Rescue
Last Mile Food Rescue, an organization that provides the last mile of the food distribution ecosystem to reach individuals and families in need who otherwise could not access community resources, expressed its gratitude for this gift that will help them drive down food insecurity on the road to end food waste and hunger.
“Last Mile is so appreciative of St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s commitment to address food insecurity in our community,” said Julie Shifman, Executive Director of Last Mile Food Rescue. “We are excited to use our grant to expand our food rescue services and help to feed more people in Northern Kentucky.”
The St. Elizabeth contribution of $400,000 is part of an ongoing commitment to address social determinants of health, which account for more than 40% of a person’s health outcomes.
