Junior Cardinal Backpack Program Accepts Several New Donations

Clarinda Regional Health Center • January 22, 2020

Clarinda Regional Health Center (CRHC) and Junior Cardinal Backpack program coordinator, Molly Gilmore, are excited to share news of some recent donations they have received for the backpack program.

On January 7th, Director of Ancillary Services, Greg Jones, and Gilmore accepted a check from Tonja Downey at DaVita Dialysis. The $3,600 donation came from their Atlantic and Creston regional offices. Gilmore notes, “It’s wonderful to have the support of local businesses and community members. Knowing that they want to help us further this cause really makes a difference to kids in our community.”

In the last several months’ many local businesses have helped support the Junior Cardinal Backpack Program. In December, the Charles Hockenberry Foundation donated $5,000 and Shenandoah Walmart donated $3,000 to help provide for food-insecure children in the Clarinda Community School District. These donations provided over 1,500 bags of food. Each bag includes two milks, two fruits, two breakfast items, and two entrees.

A total of $21,600 has been given in grants to help support the Junior Cardinal Backpack Program. Earlier in 2019, the Clarinda Foundation contributed a $10,000 grant to the program. This program began in the spring of 2019 when employees at CRHC wanted help support young people in the school system who are food insecure. Healthy food is delivered weekly to Clarinda Elementary and Middle School buildings to help supplement food availability while kids are away from school over the weekend. The program is serving 141 students total.

To learn more about this program, or to donate, please visit ClarindaHealth.com or contact program coordinator, Molly Gilmore, at 712-542-8323.

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