St. Vincent’s, Hartford Health donate $50K to pantry

Usually, when someone is having an anniversary, the custom is for them to receive gifts, not give them.

But St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport chose to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its acquisition by Hartford HealthCare — which took place

Thursday — by giving $50,000 to the Bishop Jean Williams Food Pantry, also in Bridgeport.

The donation will help to reduce food insecurity, provide nutritious meals and further education about healthy eating, the organization said.

“We are so grateful and so thankful,” said Pastor Mary Green, of the Bishop Jean Williams Food Pantry, during a press conference Thursday to announce the donation.

The pantry provides emergency meals to low-to-moderate families that are food insecure. Families are able to shop on a weekly basis. The program is part of the Park City Initiative Corp., which helps families in need improve their quality of life.

During Thursday’s event, leaders from St. Vincent’s and Hartford HealthCare spoke about how hospitals should be partners with their local community organizations to help improve the overall health of a region.

“It’s programs like the Bishop Jean Williams food pantry that make a tremendous difference to programs like ours,” said Jeffrey A. Flaks, president and chief executive officer of Hartford HealthCare.

Vincent DiBattista, Senior Vice President for Hartford HealthCare and President of the Fairfield Region, agreed. “None of us can be successful unless we’re nourishing the body,” he said.