Staff members with Kindred at Home from Clarendon, Sumter and Kershaw counties are blanketing the area in August collection bags to gather donations for United Ministries, one of many benefactors of Kindred's 12th annual Food Drive.
Employees with Kindred at Home and their associates across the Kindred at Home and Kindred Hospice family of home healthcare services are placing the food collection bas at healthcare and other facilities in their respective communities and will collect their harvest during the entire month of August.
They re focused on beating the tally from 2016, when the company's annual food drive yielded more than 331,000 pounds of goods for donations to charitable organizations across the country.
"Because of the broad scope of care we provide patients and their families, home health and hospice providers are by nature in touch with their community's resources and aware of the fact that food banks, pantries and other charitable organizations face increasing demands for assistance," said Home Health Specialist Tina Stoia of Manning. "With one in eight U.S. households being 'food insecure,' it just makes sense that healthcare leaders like Kindred - with a vested interest in promoting healthy communities - does what it can to make sure the most basic component of good health, food, is available to those in need.
Kindred at Home is a home health provider of in-home, skilled nursing, physical and occupational therapies and related services to residents of Clarendon, Sumter and Kershaw counties. The office located in Manning is an affiliate of Kindred at Home, one of the nation's leading providers of comprehensive home health and hospice services. While its local office is staffed by area professionals familiar with the health needs of community residents, Kindred at Homes national scope allows it to bring substantial resources to its local offices that other companies often cannot provide, Stoia said.
Those wishing to donate, or wanting to learn more about the effort, should call Stoia at (803) 249-0056. A donation bag is located at The Manning Times, 230 E. Boyce St. in Manning. All non-perishable food items are welcome. Suggested items include flour, grits, canned meat, pasta, dried beans and Jiffy cornbread.
