Altrusa of Lake City’s Backpack Program to feed children in need receives crucial donation

LAKE CITY, Fla. — HCA Florida City Hospital announced on Thursday, Jan. 5 a donation of $10,000 to Altrusa of Lake City’s Backpack Program.

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The donation will go to the purchase of food items for children in need during school breaks and holidays.

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HCA Florida Lake City Hospital is addressing the food insecurity impacting the communities they serve. According to the Florida Department of Health, more than 14 percent of Columbia County residents have food insecurities.

In an effort to lower this statistic, HCA Florida Lake City Hospital collected over 670 pounds of food to donate to Altrusa of Lake City’s Backpack Program.

“Participating in HCA Healthcare’s Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive is another way that our staff care for our community to improve more lives,” said Jill Adams, CEO of HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “This donation is a direct impact of our staff’s dedication to serving our community and their commitment to putting other’s needs ahead of their own. By working alongside Altrusa of Lake City, we are one step closer to ending hunger amongst children in our community.”

Read: THE PLAYERS surprises St. Johns County homeless outreach center St. Francis House with $50K donation

The Backpack Program for Children is an initiative started more than 10 years ago to feed children during school breaks to ensure they do not go hungry. Throughout the school year, many children rely on school breakfast and lunch to provide them with a meal for the day. When the school meals are unavailable, many children within the community do not have access to food.

This fall, HCA Healthcare affiliate hospitals along with The HCA Healthcare Foundation provided 878,000 nutritious meals to food banks across the country. This has included donating food or making financial contributions to help purchase items such as milk, fruit, and vegetables.

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This eclipsed the previous, 370,000 meals provided in 2021.