LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—CenterWell Home Health, one of America’s largest providers of home health, has supplied more than a quarter-million meals in its latest drive to feed people in need in the communities it serves around the country.
Thanks to the generosity of individuals and organizations, CenterWell this fall collected food and financial donations equivalent to 289,490 meals, according to Susan Benoit, president of CenterWell Home Health.
“We are humbled by the kindness of the many people who gave this year,” Benoit said. “We finished nearly 40,000 meals ahead of last year. It’s so rewarding to be able to make a difference in the lives of people in need.”
With more than 350 branches in 38 states, CenterWell Home Health provides clinical care to help patients regain their confident, independent selves. Whether managing a chronic condition or recovering from illness, injury, surgery or hospitalization, CenterWell’s nurses and therapists work together with patients, their families and their health care providers to create a personalized care plan.
This fall marked CenterWell’s 19th annual Food/Fund Drive, conceived to help fight against food insecurity—a known social factor that affects health—in the communities CenterWell Home Health serves. Over the years, CenterWell Home Health (previously known as the home health division of Kindred at Home) has collected more than 1.3 million meals.
Staff across the country were invited to participate in the 2023 drive, collecting a total of 139,400 meals to assist those in need. The top team was the Portland, Maine branch, bringing in 21,261 meals. The Atlanta regional operations team finished a close second with 21,250 meals, and the Wichita Falls, Texas branch contributed in 10,933 meals. The Humana Foundation contributed $15,000 in cash to the campaign, or $5,000 for each of the top three finishers.
The contributions go to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations that provide food to their respective communities. For example, in Fall River, Massachusetts, CenterWell staff delivered 20 bags of food to the Veterans Association of Bristol County, which operates a food pantry that supplies meals to local veterans. The Marianna, Florida, branch provided several carloads worth of food for Taylor County residents impacted by Hurricane Idalia earlier this year. The team in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, collected more than 800 pounds of food and $400 in cash to benefit two local food pantries.
