Healthy Over Hungry 2017

East Cooper Medical Center to Host

Healthy Over Hungry® Cereal Drive from June 2-9
Because Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation

Mount Pleasant, SC – June 2, 2017 – East Cooper Medical Center is leading a community effort to provide area children and adults struggling with hunger with a healthy breakfast during the summer through its Healthy Over Hungry® Cereal Drive benefitting The Lowcountry Foodbank, a member of the Feeding America network. The drive kicks off Friday, June 2 and runs through Friday, June 9. The hospital hosted a cereal eating contest today to help raise awareness of the drive and encourage donations.

“At East Cooper Medical Center, we understand how critically important it is for children to start off their day with a healthy breakfast,” said Patrick Downes, chief executive officer of East Cooper Medical Center.  “Through this drive, we hope to help many families in our community, and we invite you to join us in our efforts to help kids be Healthy Over Hungry® this summer.”

It is important to know that 80% of the children in the Lowcountry who participate in the free breakfast and lunch programs through their schools would not get meals provided in the summer. Summer is a particularly difficult time for food banks around the country.

“We appreciate East Cooper Medical Center for hosting the Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive and are grateful for all that it does for our community,” said Pat Walker, President and CEO Lowcountry Food Bank. “East Cooper Medical Center has chosen to take action and respond to this community need.”

Whole-grain cereal, when part of a healthy, balanced breakfast including dairy, fruit and lean protein, is a popular food item that experts say can easily address the hunger gap during the summer months when children are not in school.

Donations of healthy cereal to the Healthy Over Hungry® Cereal Drive will be collected from June 2 through June 9 at East Cooper Medical Center and Whole Foods Market Mt. Pleasant. For Financial donations for perishable breakfast items, please visit: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/tenetcerealdrive/.

All financial donations made during our campaign will be matched by East Cooper Medical Center’s parent company, Tenet Healthcare, up to $100,000.

East Cooper Medical Center, part of Tenet Healthcare, is a 130-bed acute care hospital located at 2000 Hospital Drive in Mount Pleasant. East Cooper Medical Center has been providing healthcare to the East Cooper community since 1986. We provide a number of services including 24-hour emergency care, women’s services, diagnostic imaging and interventional services, orthopedics, sports medicine, pain care, adult and pediatric rehabilitation services, wound care services and surgical care, including nationally recognized spine surgery and breast reconstruction surgery. East Cooper Medical Center is accredited by The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.