Hy-Vee donates $500,000 to UI Children’s Hospital

Hy-Vee donated $500,000 toward the University of Iowa Children's Hospital building campaign, officials announced on Friday.

Construction of the 14-story building began in 2012 and officials say the $292 million, 480,000 square-foot pediatric hospital is set to open in 2016.

The Children's Hospital is currently located throughout UI Hospitals and Clinics, but the new facility will be a dedicated hospital for pediatric patients and their families.

The University of Iowa Foundation is working to raise $50 million in private donations for the project and has raised more than $29 million to date, officials said in a news release. The campaign also aims to raise an additional $50 million to support research, physicians, nurses and programs such as Child Life and family-centered-care initiatives.

The 'Your Hy-Vee is Helping Our Kids” campaign features photographs of UI Children's Hospital patients paired with Hy-Vee employees, with accompanying personal stories about the impact of UI Children's Hospital on their lives.

The photos and stories will be featured in 19 Hy-Vee stores in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area.

West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee Inc. operates 235 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and has sales of more than $8.7 billion annually.