Every time customers of the four restaurants owned by Doc Ford’s purchased a Sanibel Stoop or a Babe on the Bay in 2023 they were also supporting healthcare for Florida’s youngest and sickest patients. In 2023, the total donated was $11,101.
Since introducing its Hospital Drink initiative several years ago, Doc Ford’s four restaurants and parent company HM Restaurant Group have donated over $123,000 to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg … one drink and $1 at a time.
Money from drink sales at Doc Ford’s restaurants on Sanibel Island and Fort Myers Beach is donated to Golisano Children’s Hospital. Proceeds raised at the Jungle Terrace and St. Pete Pier locations benefit John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Both hospitals provide critical and lifesaving pediatric healthcare and specialized services and depend on philanthropic funding.
“As a local company, we’re always looking for ways to impact our communities in a meaningful way,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Doc Ford’s and Dixie Fish Company on Fort Myers Beach. “When you’re dining out, an extra dollar may not seem like much, but it adds up to make such a big difference in the lives of children and their parents. We’re grateful to our customers for supporting our Hospital Drink initiative and local children’s hospitals.”
The drink program originated in Southwest Florida in 2006 as a fundraiser for Golisano’s Children’s Hospital, which opened in 2017. It expanded to St. Petersburg with the opening of the St. Pete Pier location in 2020 and Jungle Terrace in late 2022.