COVINGTON, Ga. — In less than one hour, Piedmont Newton Hospital employee volunteers assembled 100 lunches and 1,000 snack packs for Action Ministries’ Smart Lunch, Smart Kid program. 

Volunteers then joined members of the Action Ministries staff to distribute the items to students in the community. 

Hospital departments began collecting the snack pack items in November, including granola bars, juice boxes and fruit cups. The goal was to collect enough items to make 560 snack packs but to also provide additional items for the Action Ministries pantry. 

Employees exceeded the goal by donating enough food to assemble more than 2,000 snack packs. 

According to Action Ministries, one in five children in Georgia faces food insecurity. The snack packs are nutritionally balanced, nonperishable and easy to prepare food that students receive for weekends and long holidays. Partnering with local organizations, Action Ministries is able to provide food assistance to more than 7,000 children in Georgia. 

To learn more about Piedmont’s work in the communities is serves, visit www.piedmont.org/communitybenefit.