N E W S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2018
Hannaford Charitable Foundation Donates $100k for Teaching Food Pantry
Photo Caption: The Hannaford Charitable Foundation donated $100,000 for the new Hannaford Teaching Food Pantry to be built as part of a $450,000 renovation project at the Saratoga Community Health Center. Pictured left to right: Amy Raimo, vice president for community engagement, Saratoga Hospital and executive director, Saratoga Hospital Foundation; Vic Peteani, director of operations, Hannaford Supermarkets; Kathy McNeice, program director, Saratoga Community Health Center; Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, MD, FAAFP, medical director, Saratoga Community Health Center; Jim Hamilton, vice president of retail operations, Hannaford Supermarkets; and Maureen Yee, Senior Officer for Leadership Gifts, Saratoga Hospital Foundation.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, June 18, 2018—Saratoga Hospital received a generous $100,000 donation from the Hannaford Charitable Foundation today to support a new Teaching Food Pantry at the Saratoga Community Health Center.
“With Hannaford’s help, we have been making great strides in the area of poverty and food insecurity in our community with our existing Teaching Food Pantry,” said Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, MD, FAAFP, medical director, Saratoga Community Health Center. “But the need is great, and this renovation project will help us provide more families with food and nutritional education, such as teaching them how to read food labels and how their food choices can impact chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.”
The new Hannaford Teaching Food Pantry will complement and expand on the successful nutrition, health, and chronic disease management programs offered at the Community Health Center. The new, dedicated space will provide storage for a greater variety of healthy food items that will be used in one-on-one teaching opportunities, as well as in conjunction with the CHC’s ongoing series of programs for Diabetes and Chronic Disease Management, and its Nutrition Prescription program.
“The CHC has more than earned our confidence in its much-needed programming,” said Jim Hamilton, vice president of retail operations, Hannaford Supermarkets. “We have been proud to participate in the Teaching Food Pantry, and are happy to continue to do what we can to help our community be as healthy as it can be.”
“Hannaford has been a great community partner all along,” said Amy Raimo, vice president of community engagement for Saratoga Hospital and executive director of the Saratoga Hospital Foundation. “It is with their help that we have had a stocked pantry at the CHC and high-dose flu vaccinations at the hospital. We cannot thank them enough for this additional generous gift that will do so much good for so many underserved patients and their families.”
Saratoga Hospital will be renovating 2,800 square feet of unoccupied space on the second floor of the CHC to accommodate the new Hannaford Teaching Food Pantry, along with a new community and training room, multiple office spaces for partner non-profits, and additional clinical services. The total budget for the renovations is estimated at $450,000. Projected completion will be in the latter half of the year.
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About the Saratoga Community Health Center: The Saratoga Community Health Center is the only facility of its kind in the greater Saratoga region, focused on the needs of our region’s uninsured and underinsured residents. Since opening in 2013, this vital community resource has profoundly impacted the lives of thousands of patients and families, affording them access to high quality, compassionate, affordable primary, dental, and behavioral health care – regardless of ability to pay. In just over four years, staff has grown from 11 to 41 to meet rapidly increasing patient demand. In 2017, the CHC had nearly 22,000 patient visits, with over 25,000 visits expected in 2018.
About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider and the only acute-care facility in Saratoga County. With a medical staff of more than 450 providers, the hospital offers care in a broad range of medical specialties at more than 20 locations including its Wilton campus and the Saratoga Medical Park at Malta. The Saratoga Hospital Medical Group ensures easy access to services that can have the greatest impact on both individual and community health. In keeping with its emphasis on quality, Saratoga Hospital was the first in the Capital Region to earn Magnet designation for nursing excellence. On Jan. 1, 2017, Saratoga Hospital finalized its affiliation with Albany Medical Center, joining Columbia Memorial Health in creating a regionally integrated, locally governed healthcare system. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter Hopper
Director, Marketing and Communications
518.583.8679
phopper@saratogahospital.org