Hooters Employees in SWFL Brighten Days with Books for Cancer Patients
In a heartwarming initiative, employees from Hooters locations across Southwest Florida are bringing more than just meals to the community. These compassionate individuals are delivering books to uplift spirits at the Lee Regional Cancer Center in Fort Myers and the Cancer Clinic in Bonita Springs.
Each month, the Fort Myers and Naples Hooters generously provide additional reading materials, word searches, coloring books, writing utensils, and bookmarks for patients to enjoy.
Representing the Fort Myers location, Daijah Brown and Hannah Gordon recently visited the Lee Regional Cancer Center on April 8 to restock books and assist in distributing them to patients.
“I always love coming to the Cancer Center and seeing the cart empty. Knowing people are taking books and having something to read while they wait for appointments is special. A little thing can go a long way, and I am happy to know our cart is doing just that,” shared Hannah Gordon, a Fort Myers Hooters employee.
On April 1, several Naples Hooters employees, including Ashley Reyes, Kelly Deihl, Emily Wuerfel, Madalyn Takala, and Taylor Zalich, visited the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Cancer Clinic at the Bonita Health Center. As part of the Hootie’s Lending Library Initiative, they delivered books for the lending library cart and assisted patients in selecting items to enjoy.
“We are honored to partner with both the Lee Regional Cancer Center in Fort Myers and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Cancer Clinic at the Bonita Health Center. Our employees look forward to being a part of our monthly visits. We created the Hootie’s Lending Library program to provide books for kids and adults to read when they are in the hospital, and every month we are always adding more books, word searches, and other essentials to the selections in Southwest and South Florida. It is our priority to give back,” said Kristi Quarles, South Florida Hooters Director of Marketing.
The restaurant donates hundreds of books each month to the selection at each of the partnering hospitals and clinics. Since 2022, Hootie’s Lending Library has provided over 7,600 books to local hospitals in South Florida and in Southwest Florida at the Lee Regional Cancer Center in Fort Myers and the Cancer Clinic in Bonita Springs.
Photos from Hooters