Powering Comfort and Connection

A simple meal or quiet moment can make all the difference during a hospital stay. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) and the NextEra Energy Foundation, patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola will soon have a beautifully renovated space designed to provide comfort, connection and respite.

Through a generous $500,000 gift from the NextEra Energy Foundation, the café at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola will be transformed into the FPL Recharge Café—a welcoming gathering space serving the more than 440,000 meals shared on campus each year. Whether it's a family taking a much-needed break, a patient finding a moment of peace between appointments, or a nurse recharging after caring for others, this renewed space will offer comfort when it is needed most.

For Elisabeth Farris, whose family spent months at Ascension Sacred Heart during a high-risk pregnancy and her son's stay in the NICU, the café became far more than a place to eat.

"It was a place where we could take a breath, sit together and feel a little bit normal during a stressful time," she shared. "What started as a place to grab a meal became a sacred space for our family, filled with memories from a time when every moment mattered."

Sacred Heart Foundation is deeply grateful to FPL and the NextEra Energy Foundation for this meaningful investment and their ongoing commitment to strengthening the communities they serve.

Construction on the FPL Recharge Café is expected to begin later this year, creating a lasting legacy of care that will serve our community for years to come.