Earlier this month, leaders from various Ace Hardware locations in our Children’s Miracle Network market came to Gainesville for Ace Hardware Day — a celebration for raising $131,026 in 2025 for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.
The money was primarily raised through fundraising campaigns at local stores affiliated with the children’s hospital — including April and holiday round-up campaigns, miracle bucket sales during Bucket Weekend and World’s Finest Chocolate bar sales.
Thanks to a generous Helping Hands Grant from the Ace Foundation, $10,000 of the total raised in 2025 will go toward the Food Support program, directly helping families who otherwise can’t afford on-site meals during extended hospital stays. The program provides food vouchers, breastfeeding meal support for mothers with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit and stock for on-site food closets.
Each year, Ace Hardware stores release a calendar featuring artwork from Children’s Miracle Network patients across North America. The 2026 calendar features patient artwork from Lainey, one of the young patients at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, and 10 cents of every calendar sold benefits the children’s hospital.
Since 1991, Ace Hardware has contributed more than $1 million to the children’s hospital. From funding groundbreaking research and treatment to purchasing life-saving equipment or providing patient services that would otherwise not exist, these funds will help advance the care our patients receive.
Fundraising efforts will continue in 2026 with April Round-Up, April 1-30; Bucket Weekend, Aug. 7-9; and Holiday Round-Up, Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.