‘Twas the season of giving! Although the holiday season is behind us, PAH staff and patients are committed to caring for their communities through service and volunteerism all year round. Read a few examples of how PAH employees are making a difference.
Pennsy Pantry Challenge Tackles Food Insecurity
On December 8th, staff gathered at the Christ Healing the Sick in the Temple painting at the employee entrance to drop off loads of bins, boxes, and carts filled with food, as part of the third annual Pennsy Pantry Challenge. This year, the hospital collected more than 800 pounds of items, and more than $1700 in gift cards.
For several weeks, departments were encouraged to collect non-perishable and canned food items, along with local grocery store gift cards, to support PAH’s food pantry, located at Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center. At the end of the donation period, the department with the most donations received the acclaimed Pennsy Pantry Challenge trophy.
This year’s winning department was Materials Management, collecting 65 pounds of food and $800 worth of gift cards. In second place, Radiology collected 226 pounds of food and $120 worth of gift cards.
Although the pantry initially opened for patients at Hall-Mercer in 2015, it expanded to the rest of the PAH community in 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pantry supports patients and staff experiencing food insecurity. Patients can submit an application to pick up bags of food for themselves and their families. Groceries are also arranged to be delivered at patients’ homes, if they are unable to travel to the hospital.
Materials Management won this year’s Pennsy Pantry trophy
“We’re trying to eliminate the stigma around food insecurity. No one should feel ashamed for facing a financial hardship and not having the capacity to buy food. We want the community to know that we’re here for them if they need us,” said Patty Inacker, DSW, MBA, LCSW, Behavioral Health Service Line administrator.
Inacker serves as one of the organizers for the Pennsy Pantry Challenge, along with Rachel Bradis, administrative assistant for Hall-Mercer, Olivia Hennelly, Volunteer Services Coordinator, Christine Tierney, RN, MSN, SPHR, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Carolyn Tobin, director of Food & Nutrition and Environmental Services. In addition, Hall-Mercer hosts the Adopt-a-Family program, in which PAH departments are assigned to a local family in need, donating presents to children and requested essential items for adults. PAH supported 20 families this holiday season.
“PAH always rises to the occasion when we have the opportunity to care for others,” said Inacker. “Our staff don’t join the competition to win; they do it because it’s the right thing to do.”
CAREs Grant Supports Animal and Human Wellbeing
Molly Wolf
As a volunteer at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Cancer Center Program Manager Molly Wolff has witnessed many pet owners make the tough decision to surrender their pets to the organization.
In 2020, due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many pet owners had difficulty affording food for themselves, as well as for their dogs and cats. To address this issue, PAWS launched pet food pantry events, giving Philadelphia residents the opportunity to pick up donated pet care items in their neighborhoods. Passionate about the initiative, Wolff applied for a Penn Medicine CAREs grant, which supported $500 worth of dog and cat food and supplies to support one of the organization’s community events.
“These events benefit both the animals and the humans. It relieves the monetary stress, but it also helps to eliminate the need to surrender your pet – a family member – which can be very traumatic,” Wolff said. “Pet companionship reduces loneliness and isolation, which is what many people experienced during the pandemic.”
Every six weeks, PAWS hosts a pet food pantry, rotating to different locations throughout the city for each event. The events take place at PAWS’ partnering organizations and community centers that support other human and animal welfare efforts. The most recent event on December 10th, partnered with Philly Pets Vax Project and Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia, supported nearly 150 people and their pets, and included both pick-up of pantry items and vaccinations for dogs.
Although Wolff began volunteering at PAWS nearly four years ago, after adopting her cat Frankie, she’s always had an interest in animal care. Wolff grew up with several pets and often volunteered at the animal shelter in her hometown of Voorhees, New Jersey. She previously worked at PetSmart’s pet hotel and served as an intern at the Philadelphia Zoo for two years, where she assisted with educating guests about the wildlife. Wolff also serves as co-chair on PAWS’ Young Friends Advisory Board – a network of individuals ages 21 to 40 years who engage in PAWS’ event planning and fundraising efforts.
“PAWS is especially meaningful to me because it’s where I adopted my first pet on my own, when I first moved to Philadelphia,” said Wolff. “They’re doing great work in the city to give both pets and their owners better lives.”
An Act of Kindness from One Patient to Another
Sasha and Vivienne
This past summer, 8-year-old twin sisters Sasha and Vivienne ran a lemonade stand in their neighborhood. But their profits didn’t go into their piggy banks – they went to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Pennsylvania Hospital.
Eight years ago, after their mother, Sue Kearns, went into labor at 30 weeks, the girls spent two months in the NICU. Kearns and her husband visited the hospital daily to check in on their newborns, who they felt were in good hands with their attentive team of nurses and doctors.
The twins have become familiar with their birth story and are proud of their fragile beginnings. They wanted to help others experiencing a similar start.
Raising $100, Sasha and Vivienne donated the fund to the NICU, attached with a handwritten note: “This is lemonade stand money. I hope all of your patients get well.”