Arnold Chiropractic Center Helps Patients Give Back

Last week, huge, holiday boxes filled to the brim with non-perishable food items dominated the office of Dr. David Sortisio's Arnold Chiropractic Center.

The donations were from his patients who participated in the Center's annual food drive for My Brother's Pantry, a food distribution program run by local Broadneck churches. For 16 years, Sortisio and his office staff have run the annual patient donation program, garnering thousands of pounds of food each year for charity. 

"We used to give the donations to the county food bank but then we were told about the local program," said Bernadette Katlic of the Center. "We like the fact that we are helping our neighbors in need."

The idea for the program came from Sortisio himself, who had previously worked for an office in Atlanta that sponsored a similar program.

"It's a win-win for everybody," explained Sortisio. "Patients are provided an easy way to give back and in return they help themselves." Sortisio offers a free adjustment for participating patients or a complete initial exam for new patients who donate to the cause.

The program was always a success, so much so that the county food bank asked Sortisio if he would consider running a similar campaign during the summer, when donations were typically down and the need was still great.

"So now we do this twice a year," said Sortisio. "Patients really like to participate. They ask us months in advance when our next one will be."

Volunteers from the various churches who support My Brother's Pantry traveled to Sortisio's office last week to pick up the donations and transport them to their distribution center on College Parkway.  All were extremely pleased to see the boxes and boxes of everything from canned vegetables, to pasta, to baby cereal.

"It's a great day for us," said volunteer Ruth Stack. "Our shelves are empty, the need is great."

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