Family donates clothes for emergency patients

Published 3:23 pm Thursday, April 28, 2022

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Two years ago, Kristin Flint, a resident of Farmville, convinced her family to forgo Christmas presents to purchase clothing for patients at VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital’s emergency department. Since then, Flint has gotten married, changed careers and moved to Bedford. Yet she still found time to organize her family donation drive with her family this past holiday season. She recently made the two-hour trek to South Hill to deliver the clothing to VCU Health CMH.

Flint feels a connection to VCU Health from the care her family has received there. She has a soft spot for the Southside community from past work experiences. She also has a close friend who went through a traumatic experience. Flint has a heart for people who are hurting.

This year her family donated $700 worth of new shirts, leggings, bras, underwear and socks for more than 60 women in need.

Autumn Funderburk is a clinical coordinator in the emergency department and explained, “People in emergency situations often go home in a hospital gown because their clothes were destroyed from trauma or had to be cut off to quickly administer first aid.”

Janet Kaiser, senior director of patient care services, accepted the donations and said, “Sometimes we’ll get a family that was just in a car accident and all of them need new clothing. We greatly appreciate these clothes. Our patients will definitely benefit from them.”