Modesto, Turlock and Manteca, Calif. – Doctors Medical Center, Emanuel Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Manteca are leading a community effort to provide area children and adults struggling with hunger with a healthy breakfast during the summer through their Healthy Over Hungry® Cereal Drive.

Donations of healthy cereal, as well as financial donations, collected by Doctors Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Manteca will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.  Donations raised by Emanuel Medical Center will benefit New Life Christian Center. The drive kicks off Friday, June 2 and runs through Friday, June 9. Community members can donate healthy cereal to the drive by bringing items to any of the three hospitals during the week of the campaign. To provide a financial donation for perishable breakfast items, such as milk, fruit and lean protein, please visit http://www.findfoodbank.org/donate-today/tenet/. All financial donations made during the campaign will be matched by the three hospitals’ parent company, Tenet Healthcare, up to $100,000.

“At Doctors Medical Center, Emanuel Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Manteca, our employees are eager to join the fight against hunger and make a difference in our communities,” said Warren Kirk, CEO of Doctors Medical Center and CEO of Tenet Healthcare’s Central Valley market. “We recognize the importance of beginning each day with a nutritious breakfast and, through this drive, we hope to help the many in our communities struggling with food insecurity. We invite you to help kids be Healthy Over Hungry® this summer.”

According to Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks, 15 percent of the overall population in Stanislaus County – a total of 78,380 adults and children – were considered food insecure in 2014. In San Joaquin County, 15.6 percent of the overall population or 109,110 adults and children were considered food insecure in 2014.

“We are so blessed to have such caring partners like Doctors Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Manteca in our fight against Hunger,” said Paul Rodrigues, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. “I know the Healthy Over Hunger Cereal Drive will have a huge impact on many children in our communities who face the reality of going without nutritious food on a daily basis. All of us at Second Harvest are so thankful for their generosity.”

"The Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive makes it easier for us to help so many more families and we are grateful for Emanuel Medical Center’s determination to create a healthier community,” said Jon Nichols, Outreach Pastor at New Life Christian Center. “Summer time brings unique challenges as families and individuals do their very best to provide the essentials for a nutritious breakfast, with very limited resources. We're glad that they can turn to us for help. Thanks to Emanuel Medical Center and the Healthy Over Hungry Cereal Drive, many families will have a healthy, whole-grain cereal breakfast to start their days.”

In Stanislaus County, 66.8 percent of public school students in grades K-12 were eligible for free or reduced-fee breakfasts and lunches, according to the California Department of Education. In San Joaquin County, the figure was 62.9 percent.

Whole-grain cereal, when part of a healthy, balanced breakfast including dairy (such as milk and yogurt), fruit and lean protein, is a popular food item that experts say can easily address the hunger gap during the summer months when children are not in school. Healthy cereal contains one serving of whole grain, no more than 200 calories per serving, six grams or less of sugar and at least three grams of fiber per serving. It should also be free of artificial colors and dyes.

For Emanuel Medical Center email Carrie Lemon at [email protected]