Community hospital helping feed the hungry

PHOENIX (Aug. 6  2010) – Hearing reports that families in their community were going without food did not sit well with employees at Banner Estrella Medical Center. To help satisfy the growing demand, Banner Estrella will hold its first food drive beginning Monday, Aug. 9, to benefit the Agua Fria Food Bank in Avondale. The food drive runs through Aug. 31. Employees of the hospital are hoping the community will join them in the effort to feed low-income families in the West Valley.

“Donations are typically higher during the holiday season, but once summer rolls around, we find our shelves nearly empty,” said Renato Alvarez, Agua Fria Food Bank director.

“We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from hospital staff who want to give back,” said Rob Gould, CEO. “I expect we will have a great turnout. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to care for our community outside our hospital’s walls and continue to deliver on our mission of making a difference in people’s lives.”

Some of the most needed items include:

• Canned goods (vegetables, soups, sauces, fruits, beans, tuna);
• Boxed foods (cereal, pasta, rice, pancake and waffle mixes);
• Peanut butter and jelly; and,
• Snacks (fruit snacks, cookies, crackers, pretzels).

Banner Estrella is asking the community to team up with them to help fill the empty shelves at the food bank. There will be collection bins in the main lobby of the hospital, 9201 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Aug. 9-31.

About Banner Estrella Medical Center
Located on the southeast corner of the Loop 101 Freeway and Thomas Road, Banner Estrella Medical Center is a 214-bed full-service, non-profit hospital offering general surgery, orthopedics, women and infants services, a full cardiac program with open-heart surgery, emergency services, and medical imaging services. Banner Estrella is part of Banner Health, the leading provider of health care services in the Valley with 11 hospitals. In 2010, Thomson Reuters named Banner Health one of the Top Ten Hospital Systems in the U.S.

Contact:
Tiffany Tcheng
Public Relations
Banner Estrella Medical Center
(623) 327-7168
@BannerEstrella
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