Nearly 17 years ago, a newborn girl at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa faced multiple life-threatening complications at birth. Her family did not know what the outcome would be. What they did know was that they were surrounded by extraordinary medical professionals at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.
Today, she is a thriving 17-year-old preparing to graduate from Plant High School.
Each holiday season, her father David Osterweil, Founder & CEO of Fitlife Foods and St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation Board member, and the incredible team of 150 employees honor the hospital that helped save her and so many others through a community initiative that has grown into a consistent grassroots fundraising tradition.
Fitlife Foods has completed its latest annual Snickerdoodle for St. Joe’s campaign, raising $5,250in 2025. Since the program began twelve years ago, the Tampa-based prepared meals company has contributed over $50,000 to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The campaign dedicates 100 percent of net proceeds from special holiday Snickerdoodle cookie sales across Fitlife Foods retail locations and home delivery channels directly to pediatric care programs at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.
“St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation is profoundly grateful to FitLife Foods and David Osterweil for championing our mission with such passion and heart. Year after year, the Snickerdoodle campaign does far more than raise funds — it fuels hope, strengthens families, and brings comfort to the children who rely on us. Their commitment truly helps transform lives,” said Kate Sawa, President of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation.
What started as a personal act of gratitude has become a community movement powered by customers, team members, and Fitlife’s ownership group, the Patel Family in Tampa, long-time supporters of community health and wellness initiatives.
“Seventeen years ago, we were simply parents hoping our daughter would be okay,” said Osterweil. “The team at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital gave us that chance. This campaign is our way of saying thank you, not once, but every year.”
Fitlife Foods, founded in Tampa in 2011, has grown into one of the Southeast’s leading prepared meals companies, serving busy professionals, families, and corporate partners through retail locations and eco-friendly home delivery. Osterweil says the Snickerdoodle campaign remains one of the company’s most meaningful initiatives.
“While Fitlife Foods meals, stores and home delivery were built for success minded people fueling their performance, we believe we can do more,” Osterweil said. “We believe in our ability to support a hospital system that is a pillar of our community and whose focus is to bring comfort and support children and families during the hardest moments of their lives.
“This hospital stands beside families in their most vulnerable moments,” Osterweil added. “We were one of those families. That never leaves you.”
Customers anticipate the return of the signature Snickerdoodle cookies each holiday season, knowing their purchase supports pediatric healthcare in Tampa Bay. The campaign has become an annual tradition that connects Fitlife Foods’ mission of health and wellness with tangible community impact.
As David’s daughter prepares for graduation, the Snickerdoodle campaign stands as a reminder that resilience often begins in hospital rooms, and that gratitude, when practiced consistently, can ripple outward for years.
About Fitlife Foods
Founded in 2011 in Tampa, Florida, Fitlife Foods specializes in fresh, chef-prepared meals that are well-balanced, perfectly portioned, and free from artificial ingredients. The company serves busy professionals, fitness enthusiasts, families, and wellness-focused customers through retail locations across Florida and Georgia, as well as through eco-friendly home delivery services. Fitlife Foods also provides meals to countless numbers of corporate organizations for them to provide to their employees as a best-in-class employee benefit. Beyond its core business of providing healthy meal solutions, the company actively supports local organizations and initiatives that promote health, wellness, and access to nutritious food throughout the communities it serves.
About St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation inspires the community to engage in philanthropic opportunities to invest in the unique brand of care found at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Community support for St. Joseph’s reflects the trust and reliance generations of patients and their families have had with us, preserving our rich tradition of compassionate care while fueling innovation and medical excellence. To learn more, please visit give2stjoeskids.org.
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For more information about Fitlife Foods, contact the company here:
Fitlife Foods
Fitlife Foods
813-540-4072
flfinfo@eatfitlifefoods.com
1810 W Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606