UToledo Health Staff Gives Back to the Community in Celebration of Hospital Week

UToledo Health Staff Gives Back to the Community in Celebration of Hospital Week

For the third year medical staff at the University of Toledo Medical Center spent Nurses Week and Hospital Week not only celebrating their own accomplishments but also giving back to the community.

One of the multiple events celebrating healthcare workers was a volunteer event in the Morse Fitness Center packing meals for the nonprofit Connecting Kids to Meals. Over two sessions on Tuesday, UTMC staff packed 300 meals that will be distributed to area children in need of food assistance.

Jennifer Archer, director of community engagement and impact at UToledo Health, said while it's important to take time like Nurses or Hospital Week to acknowledge the work done at UTMC, it's also important to give medical staff the opportunity to work together as a team, give back and feel good about the other things the staff is doing in the community.

"It's having a good quality of life, it's having access to food, it's being something bigger than yourself - and that's where it all comes together," Archer said. "We know that our employees are not just here as someone who is just drawing blood or giving a shot or doing a test or evaluation; it's about really engaging with the people we serve every day."

Since 2002, Connecting Kids to Meals has served more than 9 million meals to kids in need of food assistance in the greater Toledo Area.

Hospital Week volunteer opportunities for UTMC staff will wrap up with an event to sort donated food from the Stamp Out Hunger food drive at Sylvania Area Family Services.