The Helping Hawks Food Pantry at National Park College received a generous boost last month thanks to a coordinated donation drive by CHI St. Vincent.
The drive, spearheaded by CHI St. Vincent Clinical Director of Nursing Kaitlyn Atkins, collected nonperishable food items, snacks and toiletries throughout late April and early May. The effort was part of a shared governance initiative at the hospital, through which staff annually vote to support a local organization.
This year, Atkins said in a news release, the hospital’s shared governance voted on NPC’s food pantry.
“All of the things that were donated are from our entire staff throughout our hospital,” she said.
Collection bins were placed in hospital units across the facility, and the drive was promoted during daily safety huddles. Atkins noted the effort was also deeply personal for many at CHI.
“We just started our own food pantry and we see the need among our patients every day,” Atkins said in the release. “We are very close with National Park College through clinical rotations, and many of our nurses and co-workers are students here. We understand the need, so this is why we did it.”
Nicole Page, clinical nurse educator and coordinator of the CHI National Nurse Residency Program, highlighted how the initiative aligns with the hospital’s values.
“We model relationship-based care in our hospital as a ministry,” Page said in the release. “So, we have to take care of ourselves, we have to take care of our patients and others. Others would be our community. As an educator myself, I actually taught here in the nursing programs. So, to give back to a community that is very close to my heart — it makes my heart happy.”
CHI Staffing Supervisor Phillip Petty echoed the sentiment, noting that through CHI’s Values and Action Committee and shared governance, it always looks to do something for the community.
“We found out about the need here and did a collection. All of our staff were involved. It was a great process. We learned that there is a need for nonperishable foods, and we also brought snack-type foods that everyone loves, along with different toiletries and things that are in need,” Petty said in the release.
“A lot of our co-workers are students here. We know there are times they need help, and if we can help a little bit, we’d love to,” he said.
Katelyn Beckwith, NPC career services administrative assistant and Helping Hawks staff sponsor, expressed appreciation for the hospital’s support.
“The items they collected will go a long way in helping us keep the Helping Hawks Pantry stocked throughout the summer. The pantry remains open to students, staff and the community year-round, so this generous donation will truly make an impact,” she said in the release.
NPC’s Helping Hawks Food Pantry works to promote student success by providing free, nutritious food and essential personal care items. For more information, email [email protected].
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