Healthcare is usually measured in doctor visits, procedures and hospital stays.

Torrance Memorial employees are showing that community health can also begin with something as basic as a stocked pantry.

The medical center says its latest annual food drive collected approximately 3,000 pounds of donated food for New Challenge Ministries’ Fresh Rescue Food Bank.

According to Torrance Memorial, that amount can provide roughly one week of meals for as many as 150 families when combined with fresh meat, dairy products and produce.

Most of the donations came directly from Torrance Memorial employees.

And this was not an isolated effort.

Since 2022, the hospital says its food drives have collected 16,952 pounds of food, helping support approximately 850 families through New Challenge Ministries.

The Torrance-based nonprofit has served South Bay communities since 1981 and operates food-assistance and other support programs through a network of local donors, businesses and volunteers.

That partnership creates an interesting circle of community care.

Hospital employees spend their working hours helping people recover from illness and injury. Through the food drive, that same idea of care extends into homes where families may be worrying about their next grocery bill.

Three thousand pounds of food sounds like a statistic.

For the families receiving it, it looks a lot more like dinner.

Internal Link: Read how New Challenge Ministries helped 500 local children start school prepared

External Link: Learn more about New Challenge Ministries