Brandon Hospital hosts Back to School event and provides backpacks full of supplies

The HCA Florida Brandon Hospital Women's and Children's Services team invites the community to a Back to School Bash on Thursday, Aug. 1, 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Families in need of school supplies are encouraged to come and pick up donations while they last. Backpacks full of school supplies will be distributed outside the Children's Emergency Center entrance at 119 Oakfield Dr, Brandon, Fla.

The need for school supplies in the Brandon area is great. In August 2023, Brandon Hospital provided 400 families with school supplies at its first Back to School Bash. Hillsborough County is the 7th largest school district in the country with 235 instructional sites with nearly 224,000 students. The backpacks full of supplies distributed at the 2023 event were all donated by Brandon Hospital employees.

This Back to School event is free and open to the public. The event will include fun activities including a petting zoo, ambulances and a fire truck to tour ("Touch-A-Truck"), a teddy bear clinic, arts and crafts, food, music and more.

"It's a great feeling when families come to the Back to School Bash and we are able to provide much needed school supplies. We are parents too and we know how it really adds up. The different units really come together for the community by donating school supplies to give back. It is an opportunity to make a real difference," said Melissa Bell, Vice President of Emergency Services at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital. "I still remember the look on all these kids and families faces last year, how happy they all are. I can't wait to do it again."

Brandon Hospital cares for more than 42,000 children each year through our Children's Emergency Center, five freestanding emergency departments: Plant City, Lakeland, Riverview, New Tampa and Temple Terrace, our children's inpatient unit, Labor & Delivery unit and Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).