(L-R): Kim Saiswick, Doreen Gauthier, Father Mark Andrew Joyes, Dr. Patrick Taylor and Sister Rita Levasseur

In Broward County, 15 percent of the population is food insecure, which means they lack access to sufficient affordable, nutritious food. To help alleviate that burden, Holy Cross Hospital has awarded $25,000 in grants to two non-profit organizations that focus on implementing food security initiatives in South Florida.

The Holy Cross Hospital food security grants are presented annually in honor of John C. Johnson, president emeritus and former chief executive officer of the non-profit hospital. This year, LifeNet4Families and St. Nicholas Episcopal Church received a grant.

“By helping to ensure that every man, woman and child in our community has access to sufficient food, these passionate charities embody everything John stood for,” said Sister Rita Levasseur, Holy Cross Hospital's vice president of mission integration.

(L-R): Kim Saiswick, Norman Embree, Melanie Geddes, Dr. Patrick Taylor and Sister Rita Levasseur

For more than 30 years, LifeNet4Families has provided service to the hungry and homeless in Broward County. The non-profit has grown tremendously during that time, from distributing a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the beginning to providing well over 90,000 meals a year today. LifeNet4Families received $20,000 from Holy Cross to support its programs.

The $5,000 grant presented to St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Pompano Beach will help fund the Holy Grill food trailer, an innovative mobile ministry food truck that helps feed the homeless.

About Holy Cross Hospital

A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross Hospital has been named one of the top five hospitals in the Miami metro area and among the top 20 in the state in U.S. News and World Report's 2019-2020 Best Hospital rankings. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. To learn more about Holy Cross Hospital, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl.