FIND Food Bank Telethon Set for Friday, April 5

PALM SPRINGS —When the phones start ringing for FIND Food Bank’s annual fundraising telethon on Friday, April 5, employee volunteers from Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) again will be there answering them.

CBS Local-2 staffers will be broadcasting – along with other volunteers who share DOHC’s commitment to helping alleviate food insecurity in our communities.

“We hope we’ll be processing lots of donations that evening. This is something we care deeply about because good nutrition is one of the pillars of good health,” Dr. Marc Hoffing, Medical Director at Desert Oasis Healthcare, said in a prepared statement. “The work that FIND does with making a dollar stretch to feed so many is truly inspiring.”

Food insecurity – defined as being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food – is one of the many causes DOHC supports with its annual giving to local community organizations. But DOHC employees are also involved with fighting hunger on a personal level. They have been participating in a virtual food drive with monetary donations, as well as filling FIND Food Bank barrels with canned food and dried goods placed at various locations throughout the DOHC service area.

Food In Need of Distribution Inc. is FIND Food Bank. It is the only regional food bank serving eastern Riverside and southern San Bernardino Counties in southern California. It distributes more than 10 million pounds of food assistance annually to an average 85,000 individuals each month across its service area.

It does so through a network of 100+ community-based partners whose programs include food pantries, soup kitchens, after-school and summer care, senior centers, faith-based organizations, and homeless shelters.

FIND is a Member of Feeding America and the California Association of Food Banks.

Last year, DOHC gave $15,000 to Mizell Senior Center to purchase a new delivery vehicle for its Meals On Wheels program that serves nearly 500 meals each day to homebound seniors throughout the Coachella Valley from Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs to the North Shore of the Salton Sea. At Mizell’s 2019 “Stars Among Us” gala fundraiser, DOHC gave another $25,000 – this time, as a commitment that will be renewed annually over a total of five years.

“The Meals On Wheels drivers from Mizell are not only making sure that Seniors are eating regularly but also checking that they haven’t fallen or become ill,” Dr. Hoffing said. “FIND Food Bank serves an equally vital role in fighting hunger with both regular and emergency food distributions to families and individuals, as well as through its mobile pantry and a summer program for kids who might otherwise go hungry when not receiving meals at school. We’re grateful to be able to support the work of both FIND and Mizell in fighting hunger right here in our communities.”

In addition to working the phones, DOHC will also present a $15,000 check to FIND.

About Desert Oasis Healthcare

Formed in 1981 as one of the first medical groups in the desert communities of southern California, Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) is an affiliate of the Heritage Provider Network (HPN) founded by Dr. Richard Merkin. Today, HPN and its affiliated medical groups make up one of the nation’s leading physician-driven healthcare solutions organizations.

DOHC continues to advance with changes in the healthcare market, providing primary and immediate care, home health, palliative care, and other services to more than 70,000 members/patients living in the greater Coachella Valley and the Morongo Basin of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The multidisciplinary and comprehensive care programs of DOHC are committed to educating individuals on preventative health care in their daily lives, reflected in the DOHC motto, “Your Health. Your Life. Our Passion.” For more information, click here.