Cleveland Clinic announces $2.5 million gift to Feeding Medina County

Representatives of Feeding Medina County and local community members gathered at the organization’s West Smith Road headquarters April 30 to celebrate good news for the program.

The Cleveland Clinic was scheduled to present Feeding Medina County with a five-year gift in support of its efforts to provide food to families in need. What nobody in the food distribution program knew beforehand was just how substantial the gift would be – $500,000 per year for the next five years, for a total of $2.5 million.

The gathering started with remarks from Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thomas Rogers, who emphasized the importance of Feeding Medina County and its mission.

“Food insecurity is one of our pillars that the Cleveland Clinic as a whole wants to combat,” he said. “Here in Medina County, we also want to be able to take care of food insecurity as much as we can. So our partnership with Feeding Medina County is extremely vital to the success of healthy individuals. Food drives everything.”

Rogers said the idea of presenting the donation began in November 2025 during the government shutdown, when the clinic provided funding to organizations across the country, including $100,000 to Feeding Medina County.

“At the beginning of 2026, the clinic just looked and said, ‘That went really well. Let’s go ahead and see what else we could do,’” Rogers said. “So they donated $50 million to food banks across the country that serve our hospitals in Ohio, Nevada and Florida.”

Rogers noted the clinic’s partnership with Feeding Medina County also includes volunteer efforts, with hospital staff helping prepare food bags for patients and families.

“It’s been a long-standing commitment, both through volunteerism and financial support,” he said.

After the remarks, Rogers and Cleveland Clinic Executive Vice President Vickie Johnson presented Feeding Medina County Executive Director Janet Newcomer with the $2.5 million check, drawing applause from those in attendance.

Newcomer said she had been informed a week earlier that the clinic would present a five-year gift but did not know the amount.

“This gift will be so transformational for Feeding Medina County,” she said. “It will allow us to do so many more things in the community to address food insecurity.”

Newcomer said the funding will help expand capacity, including additional freezer, cooler and warehouse space to meet growing demand.

“We need additional space to serve the increased number of clients and neighbors we see each month,” she said. “This donation will also help ensure we are providing the most nutritious groceries possible for families across Medina County.”

Newcomer said the organization also hopes to expand programming, including the potential for a choice pantry.

Both Rogers and Newcomer expressed appreciation for the partnership and a shared commitment to serving local residents.

“Community hospitals are key for the health of a community,” Rogers said. “We’re always here, not only to take care of the daily needs but the future needs, and we’ll continue to support Medina County.”