Hospital staff donate more than a thousand cans to local foodbank
Teams at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) have now topped their target by donating more than a thousand cans of food to the Harlow Foodbank for vulnerable local families.
The initiative began when the emergency department (ED) team launched their ‘We can with a can’ initiative a month ago, in response to which they have seen a great level of support. This inspired other teams across the hospital to also get involved. The hospital has currently donated more than a thousand cans of food – with more adding to the total every day. 
The Harlow Foodbank is in need of tinned goods to help local families in these difficult times. They would also very gratefully receive other non-perishable items, such as rice, pasta, noodles, and toiletries.
The hospital is encouraging as many staff as possible to take part – those who are currently working remotely can pledge a donation to be made by a team member at the hospital on their behalf.
Dawn Sullivan, general manager of the emergency department, said: “We have been absolutely delighted by the generosity and support the community have shown us during the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).
“We wanted to give something back to show how grateful we are. We heard that the Harlow Foodbank needed canned goods and we thought that with just one can from each member of our 200-strong team in the emergency department, we could make such a difference. Together with our colleagues from teams right across the hospital, we have now exceeded our target of 200 cans and have donated more than 1,000 – it’s amazing to have seen such support.
“Thank you to everyone, and I’m hugely proud once again to work alongside such kind and generous PAHT people.”
Ogechi Emeadi, director of people, organisational development and communications, said: “Thank you to the emergency department (ED) team for thinking of this wonderful idea, which we have all been inspired by. We want to keep the initiative rolling, with many colleagues continuing to join in.
“We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we’ve seen from our local community in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). We are extremely pleased to be able to make this contribution to help local families who are struggling during these unprecedented times.”
Pictured are:
- Our non-executive directors supporting the ‘Can with a can’ campaign for our local residents
- The COVID-19 Strategic Cell at The Princess Alexandra Hospital supporting the ‘Can with a can’ campaign for our local residents
- Some of the canned goods collected so far