Staff at PAH fully embraced the spirit of giving through participation in the hospital’s multiple holiday drives. Through their generosity, staff were able to support hundreds of individuals experiencing food and housing insecurity in the community.
Pennsy Pantry Competition Announces Two Winning Teams
Environmental Services Team
Materials Team
In the second annual Pennsy Pantry competition, departments competed to raise the most donations within a two-week time frame, which included both non-perishable items and gift cards for buying groceries. The Pennsy Pantry collects donated items to support employees and patients in need of food for their households all year round.
“We know there are many families in our community who struggle putting food on their tables,” said Olivia Hennelly, Administrative Coordinator for Volunteer Services. “I know, being one of five children, we ate a lot of food. Plus, this year may be even more difficult for some with so many being out of work and their children home from school; unable to receive lunch from school and therefore making it yet another meal their parents need to provide.”
Each pound of food collected was counted as one point for a department, and every two dollars on a gift card were equivalent to one point as well. The size of a department was also taken into consideration for the number of donations collected.
At the weigh-in event, held in the Zubrow Auditorium on December 3rd, each department dropped off their donations, and waited in anticipation for the reveal of the winner.
This year consisted of two winning departments – Materials, donating 112 pounds of food and $430 in gift cards, and Environmental Services with 360 pounds of food, as part of the competition’s overall 1,212 pounds of food and $1,295 in gift cards.
“This time of year is all about families coming together to share a large meal and celebrate holiday traditions,” said Hennelly. “It’s amazing to see the PAH community come together to make sure so many families are able to do just that.”
Holiday Packages for Homeless Patients
The Case Management and Social Work (CMSW) Shared Governance hosted their third annual Supplies Drive for patients experiencing housing insecurity at Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center.
Announcing the drive at the end of September, the shared governance requested gift cards; warm clothes; personal care items like deodorant, sanitizer, and soap; and non-perishable food items.
Linda M. Smith, BSN, RN
“Last year, we kept it within our department for collections, but we thought it would be great to expand the drive to the whole hospital,” said Linda M. Smith, BSN, RN, clinical resource manager in CMSW and chair of CMSW Shared Governance. “We had an overwhelming response from staff, and we were so excited.”
At the end of the donation period, which concluded at the end of October, Smith and her team gathered all the items at the several donation spots around the hospital. Gathering in the Harte Memorial, surrounded by piles of clothes and stacks of supplies, the team prepared more than 100 individually wrapped gifts.
Smith, an active volunteer in her community for more than 20 years, was grateful to help organize the initiative and see her PAH colleagues join in the spirit of giving.
“People have been kind to me when I needed it, and I wanted to return the favor,” said Smith. “It’s all about paying it forward.”
Giving the Gift of Warmth
Staff gave the gift of warmth to families in the Philadelphia region by donating new and gently used coats to the system wide Penn Medicine/Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania (CPUP) Winter Coat Drive. Sponsored by the CPUP Committee on Antiracism, the initiative collected a total of 437 coats and winter accessories, such as hats and gloves, along with two pairs of men’s boots, which were delivered at Chosen 300 Ministries.