ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — A food fight for a good cause at VHC Health resulted in thousands of canned food items for Arlington County families in need.

Employees at the hospital participated in a friendly competition to see which unit could collect the most canned goods. In less than two months, 6,200 cans were gathered for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC).

AFAC gives supplemental groceries to Arlington County community members and last week, nearly 3,500 families received food.

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“Food is medicine. So what the hospital is doing is helping the community stay healthy,” said Charles Meng, Arlington Food Assistance Center CEO.

“The goal was 6,000 cans in six weeks and we exceeded it,” said Laura Spaner, assistant patient care director at VHC Health. “I mean, we’re called VHC Health for a reason, we care about the health of our community and their wellness and we want to give back to populations that are vulnerable.”

The three winners received gift baskets of snacks and other goodies; Unit 4-Southwest collected more than 800 cans, the Short Stay unit brought in 700 and VHC friends and family collected 1,200.

With Thanksgiving next week, some of the food will end up on holiday tables.

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