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SearchCleveland Clinic and its community partners spread holiday cheer to families in need
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Every day, countless families are faced with the difficult choice between putting food on the table and taking care of other important expenses such as housing, utilities or medical bills. The holiday season is no different.
In honor of Thanksgiving week, Cleveland Clinic, Meijer, Morrison Healthcare and other community partners came together to deliver hope and delicious meals to over 3,000 local residents.
On Saturday, Nov. 19, 50 volunteers prepared and distributed Thanksgiving meals across 27 community sites throughout downtown Akron, Lorain and Cleveland neighborhoods such as Central, Fairfax, Glenville, Hough, Ohio City and Tremont.
Additional community partners included Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, Famicos Foundation, Fatima Family Center, Hitchcock Center for Women and YMCA of Greater Cleveland.
“We are proud to work with this incredible group of community champions to provide a Thanksgiving meal for our neighbors to enjoy with their loved ones,” said Vickie Johnson, Cleveland Clinic Sr. Director, Government & Community Relations. “Hunger and food insecurity are not seasonal occurrences. These are year-round concerns for many families in our area. We remain deeply committed to addressing these issues along with their root causes including racism and discrimination, employment, education and housing.”
A total of 3,300 free meals were given out. Each boxed dinner came with:
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation, Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 83,000 employees worldwide are more than 6,600 salaried physicians and researchers, and 21,900 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,725-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 300 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2025, there were 15.9 million outpatient encounters, 343,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 336,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at x.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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