From hospital to harvest, Mercy employees give their time
Employees at Mercy Hospital support the community from both inside and outside the hospital walls.
Every other week, Mercy Hospital Services members offer their help to The Food Bank. The group includes employees from departments all across the hospital.
“We have anywhere from entry-level coworkers to the vice president level who consistently volunteer,” Tyler Gant, director of Food and Nutrition Services and executive chef at Mercy, said.
Every time these Hunger Heroes volunteer, they build stronger friendships with one another.
“The bonding time with our own Mercy coworkers outside the hospital setting has been great,” Tyler shared. “We get the opportunity to visit with them on a level that our normal jobs don’t always permit.”
The group has also created lasting relationships with Ozarks Food Harvest’s staff. Through volunteering, the Mercy employees have learned more about how their work reaches the community.
“The first time I volunteered, we met Em,” Tyler said. “Em made us feel welcome, appreciated and really helped connect what we were doing to the community. Because of Em’s engagement with our team, we were excited about the opportunity to volunteer more and have since added multiple sessions to our schedule.”
With unique perspectives as hospital workers, Mercy Hospital Services members feel passionate about The Food Bank’s mission.
“Working in healthcare, we see firsthand the needs in the community,” Tyler explained. “We understand the high level of poverty and homelessness in our community. Ozarks Food Harvest is constantly working to help with those challenges and make our community better.”
Some of the volunteers have personal connections to The Food Bank as well. This has strengthened their desire to serve with us.
“Many of us have struggled at some point in our lives and have wrestled with the thought of paying rent or using that money to buy food,” Tyler shared. “At one point in my life, I was in that very same situation. Through the help of organizations such as Ozarks Food Harvest, I got the assistance I needed to get on the right track. Without the generosity and willingness of others, I would not be where I am today.”
We are very grateful to have the consistent help of Mercy Hospital Services. Whether you have a personal connection to the issue of hunger or just wish to get involved, you can be a part of the solution by volunteering at The Food Bank. Visit ozarksfoodharvest.org/volunteer to sign up individually or with a group today.