St. Anne's Center

OGDEN -- McKay-Dee Hospital employees who decided to do something extra this year for the disadvantaged had two vehicle-loads of supplies for hard times delivered Wednesday to St. Anne's Center. The Human Resources Department asked all hospital employees to bring in items to help the homeless shelter. "I was overwhelmed with the generosity of our staff," said Jennifer Jensen, human resources manager. "Each day, we would have employees bring in large boxes and bags to donate.

Everyone was so happy to have the opportunity to help out, no matter how large or small their individual donation was. "We had so much donated that we were able to completely fill a pickup truck and large van." Items collected for the shelter over the last two weeks included food, clothing, coats, hats, diapers, shoes, baby items, blankets, sheets, towels and cleaning supplies. "With the economic downturn, we wanted to do something to help our community," Jensen said. "We felt St. Anne's was a place that could use our help."

The 100-bed shelter was established in 1981 for the poor, transient and needy and has provided short-term emergency assistance to thousands of people throughout the years. According to its website, the shelter is in great need of many of the items donated by the hospital. "St. Anne's staff members told us they have seen more than a 200 percent increase in need over the last year," Jensen said. "We felt that St. Anne's mission of serving our community is similar to our own and that we could partner with them to make a difference."

Jensen said while the service project initially began at McKay-Dee Hospital, word spread throughout the region. "The staff at Logan Regional Hospital read about it in our regional newsletter and wanted to get involved, so they sent down a large donation," she said. "It's been incredible to see how generous our employees are. ... What started as an effort to fill a couple of boxes turned into an amazing outpouring of kindness to help those in need."