SouthernCare launches food drive to benefit Joseph Ministries

SouthernCare Hospice Services, a member of the Kindred at Home family,  team members will be canvassing the Butler/Crenshaw county area throughout the month of August, distributing food collection bags and gathering donations for the Joseph Ministries, one of many benefactors of Kindred at Home’s 15th Annual Food Drive.

They are seeking support for this national effort to collect food and personal items in every market the company serves.

SouthernCare Hospice Services and colleagues from the Kindred at Home family across the country are placing the food collection bags at various locations in their respective communities and will collect their “harvest” during the entire month of August.

All items collected will be distributed to the community by a food drive partner. The following are high-demand items: canned meats, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, 2 lb. Sugar, 2 lb. flour, 2 lb. cornmeal. No perishable items please.

The company aims to beat the amount collected in 2018, when the food drive yielded more than 300,000 meals for donation to food banks and charitable organizations across the country.

“Our caregivers often tap into community resources to best serve our patients and their families, so they know firsthand the demand for assistance placed upon food banks, pantries and other charitable organizations,” said Joann Mathews, SouthernCare Volunteer Coordinator.

“According to Feeding America, nearly 5 million senior citizens face hunger in our country and many are regularly faced with the difficult choice or buying food or paying for medical care. Ensuring that the most basic component of good health – food- is available for those in need is the right thing to do for a company like Kindred at Home and for the community as a whole.”

SouthernCare Hospice Services provides in-home hospice nursing care and comfort, related services to residents of Butler and Crenshaw counties. SouthernCare Hospice Services office is a part of Kindred at Home, the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive home health and hospice services.

While its local office is staffed by area professionals familiar with the health needs of community residents, Kindred at Home’s national scope allows it to bring substantial resources to its local offices that other companies often cannot provide.

Food facts:

• 5 million senior citizens face hunger in our country (Feeding America)
• Approximately one out of every eight households in the United States is “food insecure,” meaning it lacks access or resources to provide enough food at all times to every member of the household. (USDA)
• Over 20 million children receive free or reduced-price lunch each school day. (USDA)
• One in seven people are enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Nearly half of them are children. (USDA)
• In the U.S., hunger isn’t caused by a lack of food, but rather the continued prevalence of poverty. (International Food Policy Institute)
• Since the Kindred at Home food drives began in 2005, its team members have collected more than 3.18 million pounds (1,590 tons) of food for local food banks and other charitable organizations in communities across the country.

Area residents, physicians and referral sources who want to learn more about SouthernCare’s services should contact Karren Rogers at 334-368-6002. The office is located at 501 East Commerce Street, Greenville, Alabama 36037.