Metro Roundup: Brookwood Baptist collects 70,000 servings of cereal

Brookwood Baptist Health, which is a five-hospital system, donated 69,846 servings of cereal to assist food-insecure residents across central Alabama this summer during its recent Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive. 

Cereal donations benefited the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Manna Ministries of Shelby County and Champion Church in Talladega. Monetary donations totaling $6,300, which included $5,000 from the Baptist Health Foundation, were used to purchase additional cereal and calculated into the total number of servings.

“The donations we collected during our cereal drive will help provide local children and adults struggling with hunger with a healthy breakfast this summer, and I am so grateful for the support of our staff and community in this effort, as well as the overwhelming support of the Baptist Health Foundation,” Brookwood Baptist Health CEO Tim Puthoff said. “Good nutrition is essential to good health, and we want to help lead the fight against hunger across central Alabama.”

Brett Meredith, CEO of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. said the organization is grateful to Brookwood Baptist Health for hosting the Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive and to all those who donated.

“We know that summer is a particularly tough time for many food-insecure families because children can no longer rely on schools for nutritious meals, placing an added burden on these families," Meredith said. "Thanks again to the support of Brookwood Baptist Health for joining us in the fight against hunger. We are thrilled many families across our area will benefit because of the health care system’s leadership in addressing this community health issue.”

— Submitted by Laura Clark