Staff members from the Gentiva Hospice office in Clanton will be blanketing the community throughout August distributing food collection bags and gathering donations for the Chilton County Emergency Assistance Center as part of the company’s 9th Annual Food Drive.

As part of the Gentiva Health Services family of home health and hospice providers, employees at the Gentiva Hospice Clanton office and their fellow employees around the country are placing the food collection bags at various healthcare facilities in their respective communities and will collect their “harvest” during the entire month of August. They are focused on beating last year’s national record, when the company’s 7th Annual Food Drive yielded more than 400,000 pounds of goods for donation to the charitable organizations across the country.

“As active members of the community, we know that food banks, pantries and other charitable organizations continue to face increasing demands due to our troubling economy,” said Melanie Mitchell, Executive Director. “We look forward to working with many area health organizations, and we encourage local healthcare providers to contact us for more information on how they and their employees can participate in this community effort.”

Gentiva Hospice provides a full range of hospice services to patients in Chilton, Autauga, Bibb and Dallas counties. Its Clanton office is owned and operated by Gentiva Health Services, Inc., one of the nation’s leading providers of comprehensive home health and hospice services. While its Clanton office is staffed by area professionals familiar with the health needs of community residents, Gentiva’s national scope allows it to bring substantial resources to its local offices that other companies often cannot provide.

Area residents, physicians and referral sources who want to learn more about Gentiva should contact Melanie Mitchell at 205-755-1505. The Gentiva Hospice office is located at 118 Sixth St. S., Clanton.