Miriam Hospital Employees Step Up To Help Those in Need

Posted Monday, September 10, 2012

Summer can be a challenging time for many area food banks. A decline in donations, along with an increased need from families who rely on school lunch programs for their children, means many pantries struggle to keep their shelves stocked by the end of summer. But that’s where employees from The Miriam Hospital stepped in.

As part of the eighth annual summer food drive, employees recently collected more than 2,200 lbs. of non-perishable of food items, from jars of peanut butter to boxes of pasta to canned vegetables, for three area organizations: the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, St. Raymond’s Church in Providence and Camp Street Ministries.

Bragging rights at the hospital were also at stake. As part of a friendly competition during the food drive, departments throughout The Miriam competed to bring in the most food, both in terms of overall quantity as well as the percentage of total pounds of food items per department employee. The Leonard and Adele R. Decof Comprehensive Cancer Center was the clear winner for the second year in a row, collecting more than 990 lbs. of food. Honors also went to the electroencephalography (EEG) department; with just one full-time and one part-time employee, the department collected 61 lbs. of food items.

“I want to thank each and every employee who participated in this year’s food drive,” said Arthur J. Sampson, executive director of The Miriam Hospital. “Many Rhode Islanders have been hit hard by the difficult economy and rely on food banks and food pantries to make ends meet. I am very proud of the way our employees answered the call and went above and beyond to help so many families in our community.”

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