NEWS RELEASE – February 10, 2026
ARH Foundation Awards $5,000 to Support HCTC Food Pantry
HAZARD, Ky. – The ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities has awarded a $5,000 community grant to the Hazard Independent College Foundation to support a new food pantry initiative serving students at Hazard Community and Technical College.
Left to right: Dr. Scott Harrison, Regional Chief Medical Officer, Appalachian Regional Healthcare; Carla S. Seals, Dean of Institutional Advancement, Hazard Community and Technical College; Dr. Jennifer Lindon, President and CEO, Hazard Community and Technical College
The food pantry will provide free, nutritious groceries and essential household items to college students experiencing food insecurity. The initiative is expected to support approximately 100–250 students and is focused on reducing food insecurity, improving academic persistence and completion, and promoting health and wellness so students can remain enrolled and focused on their educational goals.
“The Hazard Independent College Foundation is grateful for Appalachian Regional Healthcare’s continued partnership and support of Hazard Community and Technical College students,” said Jennifer Lindon, PhD, President and CEO of Hazard Community and Technical College. “The ARH Foundation’s monetary donation to the food pantries will help students feed their families and remain in college, ultimately leading students to program completion and rewarding careers.”
“At the ARH Foundation, we believe access to nutritious food is foundational to both health and education,” said Whittney Allen, Director of Foundation Marketing and Communications for the ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities. “This investment is about meeting students where they are and ensuring that hunger is never the reason someone has to pause or abandon their path to a degree. When we support basic needs, we strengthen our communities.”
This initiative aligns with Appalachian Regional Healthcare’s broader Food is Medicine approach, which recognizes access to nutritious food as a foundational component of health, healing, and the prevention of chronic disease. Across ARH’s service region, Food is Medicine programs integrate nutrition into care and community outreach through healthy food access, education, and partnerships designed to improve long-term health outcomes for individuals and families.
“Access to nutritious food plays a vital role in overall health and well-being,” said Brian Springate, CEO of Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center. “By supporting initiatives like this food pantry, we are helping reduce barriers that impact both physical health and quality of life. This effort reflects ARH’s commitment to caring for the whole person and strengthening the health of our communities.”
The ARH Foundation for Healthier Communities is committed to furthering healthcare, education, and community involvement across Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia, with 100% of every dollar donated staying in the communities served. To learn more or to support initiatives like this, visit www.ARH.org/donate.
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About Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH)
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) traces its roots back to 1955, when the United Mine Workers of America opened the Miners Memorial Hospital system – a network of 10 hospitals dedicated to providing care throughout the coalfields of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. Seventy years later, ARH has grown into a 14-hospital not-for-profit health system that serves more than 500,000 residents of central Appalchia each year. ARH hospitals in Barbourville, Harlan, Hazard, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky, and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, ensure that residents, tucked away in even the most remote areas, can access the highest quality of care without traveling hours from home. ARH’s hospitals, clinics, multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores, retail pharmacies, and medical spas boast more than 6,700 employees with a network of more than 1,300 providers, making it the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.