LANSING, Mich. – The scent of orange chicken filled the halls of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at UM Health-Sparrow Lansing as Panda Express staff served over 30 individually packaged meals to hospitalized children and their caregivers.

But the offerings during Panda Cares Day extended beyond lunch: Panda Express staff also distributed panda-themed backpacks filled with markers, crayons, coloring books and headphones, turning a routine Friday into a moment of joy and distraction for children facing extended stays.

Panda Express has been a Children’s Miracle Network corporate partner with UM Health-Sparrow since 2008, raising nearly $250,000 for pediatrics at the Lansing hospital over that span. Panda donations are currently supporting two pediatric behavioral health rooms in UM Health-Sparrow Lansing’s Pediatric Emergency Department, a critical need as behavioral health challenges among children have grown significantly over the past decade.

“We serve great food here at UM Health-Sparrow, but sometimes you need a little bit of food from somewhere not in the hospital, and that can mean a lot to somebody’s mental health while they’re here,” said Steven Martin, M.D., Medical Director of Pediatrics Services at UM Health-Sparrow Lansing. 

“Panda Express is doing a great benefit to the community across all the realms they support through Children’s Miracle Network and all their initiatives. Every dollar we can put toward the children of the community is amazing.”

“Being here and seeing the kids’ faces light up, that’s what this is all about,” said Justin Nabinger, store manager at Panda Express in Eastwood Town Center in Lansing. “We’re showing that the community cares.”

To donate to UM Health-Sparrow, visit UofMHealthSparrow.org/um-health-sparrow-community-health/sparrow-foundation/um-health-sparrow-foundation-ways-give