Auxiliary donates to Headwaters hospital for new freezer

July 15, 2016 · 0 Comments

New for 2016, the Headwaters Health Care Auxiliary donated money toward the purchase of carefully selected hospital equipment at the group’s annual general meeting May 25.
The Auxiliary presented a cheque for $14,774. The funds will be used toward the Patient Food Services new freezer.
Hospital patients who eat well heal and recover faster with fewer complications.
Patient Food Services feed three meals per day to 100 patients, 365 days a year. That’s 109,500 meals per year. The walk-in freezer at Headwaters is 19 years old — as old as the hospital, and is at the end of its life span. If the freezer had broken down, the hospital would have lost all the patient food, as it’s the only one in the hospital. For example, Headwaters orders 52 cases of turkey breasts, 416 cases of frozen vegetable soup, 156 cases of gluten-free entrees for patients with Celiac disease, and 260 cases of minced entrees for patients with swallowing difficulties.
“We are excited with the new direction the Auxiliary is taking by using our fundraising money to purchase specific equipment for the hospital,” commented Auxiliary President Carolyne Beaton. “The Foundation has an annual list of equipment the hospital requires. We have been able to discuss this list with the Foundation and then select different items, some glamourous and some not so glamourous such as the freezer, but that are essential none the less to the daily operations of the hospital. It is a great feeling for all of us in the Auxiliary to see exactly where the money we raise is needed and then used.”
In December 2015, the Auxiliary completed its five-year pledge of $750,000 for the Commitment to Care Campaign. Over the next year, the Auxiliary will contribute $150,000 to assist the Foundation in their mandate of raising funds for vital hospital equipment.
In partnership with the Foundation, the Auxiliary helps to raise funds for hospital equipment through a number of events and activities, including the annual House Tour, the Teddy Bear Clinic, the Candy Cane Fair, quilt raffles, gift shops, coffee bars, book exchanges, and including Seconds Count, the Hospital Thrift Store.