Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital Team Members Support Brevard Students Through 215-Pound Supply Zone Donation
Melbourne, FL (August 12, 2026) — Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital team members are helping students across Brevard County start the school year prepared for success after collecting 215 pounds, equaling more than 400 school supply items, during the hospital's annual Back-to-School Supply Drive.
Held from July 1 through August 1, the month-long effort benefited Supply Zone for Teachers, a Brevard Public Schools program that provides free school supplies to teachers and students in need. The program helps ensure children facing financial challenges have access to essential classroom materials, allowing them to begin the school year ready to learn and thrive. It also helps educators stock their classrooms while reducing out-of-pocket expenses often incurred during the school year.
"Every child deserves the opportunity to walk into the classroom feeling prepared, confident and ready to learn," said Daniel Hodges, chief financial officer for Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital and board member of Supply Zone. "The generosity of our team members demonstrates how deeply they care about the families we serve.”
Team members donated a wide variety of school essentials, including notebooks, pencils, backpacks, markers, crayons, folders, calculators, and other classroom supplies. Collection bins were placed throughout the hospital, making it easy for team members to contribute and support local students and educators.
The school supply drive is one of many community outreach initiatives supported by Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital team members throughout the year. Through volunteer service, charitable giving and community partnerships, team members regularly work to address local needs and improve quality of life across Brevard County, including:
Packing more than 250+ hygiene kits for WAYS for Life youths
Providing 100+ dinner meal kits supporting WAYS for Life
Prepping 45 pounds of food for primates at the Brevard Zoo
Providing 93 volunteers (roughly 370 volunteer hours) supporting the Cocoa Village Playhouse as guest ushers
Children's Hunger Project 500+ meals packed
Creating 8,000+ meals for our neighbors facing hunger supporting the Second Harvest Food Donation
"Strong communities are built when people come together to invest in one another," said Ron Gicca, President, Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital. "When we support students and teachers, we are investing in the future of Brevard County. We are proud to stand alongside our community partners in helping students begin the school year with the supplies they need to succeed."
The school supply drive reflects Orlando Health Melbourne Hospital's ongoing commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $15 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States – including Florida and Alabama – and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $1.7 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 23, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
