WILMINGTON, NC – New Hanover Regional Medical Center has partnered with NourishNC to help combat childhood hunger in our region. NHRMC is dedicated to providing health equity in our community and strives to provide opportunities for employees to become involved.
The partnership kicked off in July with an employee-run food drive and sponsorship of the Farmers MarKID in the food desert of Wilmington’s Northside, where access to fresh produce is difficult because of a lack of grocery stores.
NHRMC employees spent a week collecting nearly $12,000 worth of high quality, nonperishable food to support the NourishNC Backpack Program (K-5), Nourish Boxes (6-12), and emergency food pantries. At the end of the week, more than 40 employees and their families volunteered to help set up, run, and break down the Farmer’s MarKID, providing 198 kids and their families with almost 2,000 pounds of produce.
“We know that summer time is can be tough for our region’s school children as 25 percent are food insecure, with not enough to eat on a daily basis,” said NHRMC Chief Physician Executive Philip Brown, MD. “New Hanover Regional Medical Center has a mission of leading our community to outstanding health, so we can’t let that happen.”
NHRMC is investing in the future of NourishNC’s mission by providing professional development classes taught by NHRMC and South East Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC) and nutritional consultations for NourishNC’s programs.
“We are excited to collaborate with NHRMC and look forward to planning future projects to support NourishNC’s mission of providing healthy food to hungry children, and empowering them to succeed in the classroom and in their community.” said NourishNC Executive Director Steve McCrossan.
For more information on NourishNC, visit www.nourishnc.org.