HCA Florida North Florida Hospital recently announced the HCA Healthcare Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to Bread of the Mighty Food Bank for its community outreach initiatives as part of its Health Equity Catalyst Grant Program.

The grant is through the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund that focuses on addressing high-priority community needs. HCA Florida North Florida Hospital colleagues participated in a check presentation at Bread of the Mighty Food Bank last week and volunteered to help sort and prepare food for distribution in the community.

“We’re grateful for our long-standing partnership and support of Bread of the Mighty Food Bank and its anti-hunger initiatives, as the organization aligns with our mission: above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life,” said Eric Lawson, chief executive officer of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, in the press release. “Bread of the Mighty not only provides nutritious food to those in need in our community, but they use their voice to advocate to address the root causes of hunger through community outreach and coalition building. We are confident this grant will further support this important mission and create healthier tomorrows for all.”

According to an HCA release, the HCA Healthcare Foundation Health Equity Catalyst Grant will help Bread of the Mighty Food Bank increase collaboration with targeted communities and provide much-needed nutritious food to areas that lack access. Specifically, Bread of the Mighty will use these funds for its community outreach to gain knowledge of community needs, particularly in East Gainesville and rural Alachua County. These “listening sessions” will help Bread of the Mighty formulate its overall strategy on where they need to be and who they need to support.

“Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, a branch of Feeding Northeast Florida, is deeply grateful for the continued partnership and support of the HCA Healthcare Foundation and HCA Florida North Florida Hospital,” said Patrick Dodds, executive director of Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, in the press release. “This gift will help ensure that our neighbors facing food insecurity in Alachua County have the resources necessary to live happy, healthy and productive lives. We strive for solutions driven by those we aim to support. Our efforts should not just be for the community, but by the community. This work would not be possible without the support and generosity of organizations such as the HCA Healthcare Foundation and its affiliates.”

The Health Equity Catalyst Grant, launched in August 2023, provides a one-time operating grant to support organizations and collaboratives that address health inequities in a defined focus area in order to advance or accelerate efforts to:

• Provide culturally and structurally competent services,
• Advance high-impact health equity programming,
• Support collaborative health equity efforts, and/or
• Address root causes of health inequities.

In 2024, the grants were given to nonprofits addressing food insecurity and providing access to healthy foods across the country.