Checking out the 100 boxes of donated food are (from left to right) Michele Morley, Haven Hills Inc. President and CEO of the Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Gustavo Valdespino; Jackie Pinedo, Children of the Night executive assistant, and Nicole Chase, Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley development and marketing consultant.

Demonstrating its commitment to the community, Valley Presbyterian Hospital's (VPH) staff celebrated National Hospital Week with a friendly competition among its staff to gather the most food to donate to three local charities.

The teams gathered 100 boxes of canned goods and other nonperishable food items that were donated to the Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley, which provides services to disadvantaged youth; Children of the Night, which rescues children from prostitution, and Haven Hills, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

The winning team, led by Gayathri S. Jith, VPH vice president of operations, gathered 26 boxes of food. The food drive was sponsored by VPH's "Compassion in Action" program, an ongoing effort to give back to the community through donations and services to charitable organizations in the San Fernando Valley.

"The generous donations of our wonderful staff are a reflection of our commitment to take care of people not only at our hospital but also in our community, said Gustavo Valdespino, VPH president and CEO. "For more than half a century, Valley Presbyterian Hospital has been a vital community asset. Its Compassion in Action program is extending the hospital's outreach even further and ensuring the community will receive even greater benefits from VPH over the next half century."

The competition commemorated National Hospital Week, May 6-12, which is the nation's largest health care event. Michele Morley, Haven Hills president, praised VPH and its staff for a "really impressive collaborative effort of reaching out to the community. It just confirms that we really are all in this together, and we all need to cooperate and share the bounty of our resources."

Nicole Chase, Boys and Girls Club of San Fernando Valley development and marketing consultant, said she was touched by the VPH teams' efforts to put together entire meals for the families the club serves.

"It's like there is a message in each box from VPH and its staff, which says, 'We care,'" she said. "I am very grateful that VPH is helping us help our families."

Jackie Pinedo, Children of the Night executive assistant, also thanked VPH for its contributions, saying, "We really couldn't do the work we do without the generosity of our donors."