For the second time in a row, Phoenix Children’s annual cereal drive for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance yielded more than 1 million servings of food for Arizona’s vulnerable children. Two of the largest non-profit organizations in the state, Phoenix Children’s and St. Mary’s provide meals to children through the summer. For the seventh year, Phoenix Children’s cereal drive is the largest donation event of the year for St. Mary’s and stocks the shelves during the season when children lose access to school-provided meals. Hospital staff gathered at St. Mary’s Food Bank Warehouse on Monday morning to celebrate as the organization delivered its contribution to fighting childhood hunger.
“Last month, we asked our employees to contribute to a cause that is so important to all of us, and they answered the call and then some,” said Todd Nickoles, Phoenix Children’s Director for Trauma, Surgery and Phoenix Children’s Hospital Center for Family Health and Safety. “I am blown away by the contributions that our staff have made to curb childhood hunger. Every department —everyone from patient access through human resources— contributed to us surpassing the one million serving mark.”
In Arizona, around 25.3 percent of children struggle with food insecurity. Since the first event in 2013, Phoenix Children’s has partnered with St. Mary’s to donate record-breaking servings of cereal and peanut butter for vulnerable children.
“We’re so thankful to Phoenix Children’s employees and the greater community for all their work in this effort,” said Jerry Brown, Director of Public Relations at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. “Year after year, we work to make this event a meaningful and fun opportunity for Arizonans to give back to their community. And each year, the staff at Phoenix Children’s truly exceed our expectations.”
About Phoenix Children’s
Phoenix Children’s Hospital is Arizona’s only children’s hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals. For 35 years Phoenix Children's has provided world-class inpatient, outpatient, trauma, emergency and urgent care to children and families in Arizona and throughout the Southwest. As one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country, Phoenix Children’s delivers care across more than 75 pediatric specialties. Recognized specifically for its patient-focused innovation, medical education, growth and research, Phoenix Children’s was named Business of the Year and Exceptional Innovator by the Greater Phoenix Chamber in 2018. For more information about the hospital, visit phoenixchildrens.org.
About The Food Bank
Celebrating its 51st year as the world’s FIRST Food Bank, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to 689 partner agencies at 886 locations in Arizona that serve the hungry. Serving nine of Arizona’s 15 counties, the organization is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. In Fiscal Year 2017-18, the Food Bank distributed more than 88 million pounds of food to Arizona families and children and garnered more than 213,000 volunteer service hours.
Web site: www.StMarysFoodBank.org Phone: 602-242-FOOD.
