Hospital aims to collect 5,000 pounds of food this holiday season

In November 2011, Mineral Community Hospital held their first Holiday Food Drive to help those in need in the county through the holidays. This season is no exception, as the hospital employees are continuing to collect non-perishable food items with a goal of over 5,000 pounds.

The hospital will also be presenting nearly $2,000 to the Town Pump/Lucky Lil’s Food Drive, thanks to a generous donation from Wells Fargo Bank through the Mineral County Medical Foundation, according to Monte Turner, with Mineral Community Hospital.

Town Pump/Lucky Lil’s, which has a location in Superior, teamed up with Mineral Community Hospital last year when Bonnie Fuller, the food drive coordinator for Superior’s store, approached the hospital last year to see if they wanted to become partners in their food drive efforts.

They have a cash-donation Food Drive statewide each year from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 with a dollar-for-dollar match up to $5,000 in each county that has a Town Pump or a Lucky Lil’s. All the money raised remains in the participating county. Last year, hospital employees contributed more than $500 and gathered over 5,000 pounds of food.

The food and money raised is distributed to the two county food banks – the Alberton Food Pantry and the Mineral County Food Bank. These two food banks serve hundreds of people in Mineral County.

The drive will run through the month of December with several drop off locations including Alberton Feed and Supply; Castles Market, Wells Fargo Bank, Mineral Community Hospital, and Partnership Health Center in Superior; the Jack Lincoln Memorial Clinic, and the Senior Center in St. Regis.