FAIRHOPE and DAPHNE, Ala. — Food World and Senior Bowl officials began a caravan on Wednesday that ended one day later when they had finished giving a total of $200,000 to 17 charities along the Gulf Coast.

Organizations benefiting children and the arts in Baldwin County, Mobile and Pensacola again received the proceeds of the Food World-Senior Bowl Charity Run, with more than $4.5 million raised since its inception. The 20th annual footrace took place Nov. 3.

Among those given a financial shot in the arm were Thomas Hospital in Fairhope and Mercy Medical in Daphne. Both will use the money to serve children in the community.

Kathy Baugh, Thomas Hospital Foundation director, said the $20,000 check the hospital received this year is earmarked for its KidGetFit and TeenGetFit programs. Both are designed to combat childhood obesity.

The structured exercise programs focus on developing muscular strength and endurance, aerobic capacity, flexibility and motor skills. The effort can help children manage their weight with a more active and healthy lifestyle, and give them the ability to control their weight now and in the future.

“Obesity is a growing problem in the United States, with a large increase being seen in children and adolescents,” said Jeanette Breslin M.D. of Eastern Shore Children’s Clinic. “We know that the earlier we address obesity issues in children, the better the long-term outcome will be. If we wait until late adolescence, these children will only have a 20 percent chance of becoming healthy, fit adults.”

Bart Benson, director of rehabilitation services at the Eastern Shore hospital, said, “We’ve been working closely with the clinic, talking to them about that they feel their patients need.”

He noted the initial kid’s fitness program, begun in 2006 with a grant from the Food World-Senior Bowl Charitable Partnership, has since been expanded to include teens, and plans call for more to be done in the future.

“We’re wanting to grow, and get the word out to doctors, the public and P.E. teachers — refer them our way,” Benson said. “We need (an additional staffer) to meet with the doctors. We want a bigger presence with our doctors and our school system.

“That’s where we need to be going with this.”

Thomas Hospital Administrator Phil Cusa said, “We wouldn’t be able to do things like this without the support of everybody (at Food World-Senior Bowl).” With the latest donation, the partnership has now given the foundation over $180,000.

“The Senior Bowl and Food World fund these programs in their entirety,” said Baugh. “We will be good stewards of this gift.”

Mercy Medical has received more than $30,000 since the starting gun signaled the beginning of the first run, including $10,000 given Thursday morning.

The latest check was presented to members of Mercy Medical’s Guardian Angel program for pediatric hospice care. Jennifer Byrd has recently used the hospice unit and was there for the presentation.

Her son, Noah, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a disease where only the right side of the heart develops. Doctors explained that he would live only a few hours or a couple days maximum, Jennifer said.

He could receive blood into his heart but couldn’t send oxygenated blood to the rest of his body, she said. “He looked like a perfectly healthy baby,” she said.

Doctors offered a long, painful surgery that they said might have increased his life expectancy to age 5, but Jennifer and her husband, Brad, declined. “We opted to just put him in God’s hands,” she said.

After two weeks in the hospital, Mercy Medical staffers offered the Byrds the hospice care service and they decided to take Noah home.

“It allowed us to be a family at home; it allowed us to know Noah,” she said. “He could be home with our other son, Conner — he was 6 at the time.

“Being at home and being in the hospital setting are two totally different things.”

Pediatric nurse, Amanda Manning, came every day to care for Noah, according to Jennifer.

“It was comforting knowing that if I needed anybody I could just pick up the phone,” she said.

Noah died after 40 days.

“The doctors couldn’t explain it; it was a long, long six months, but we made it through with Mercy (Medical) and with God,” she said.

The Byrds’ faith helped them to cope with Noah’s death.

“God’s the one who carried us through,” she said. “We have healed; it’s been very hard but we know he’s in a much better place and we’ll see him again one day.”

Food World and Senior Bowl officials said these are the reasons they support the pediatric hospice care program.

“It allows families and children to stay together during this important time,” Steve Hale, Senior Bowl president and CEO, said.

Keith McCarty, Food World district manager, agreed.

“One of our core beliefs is to support children’s and women’s charities,” he said.

“When you start dealing with little babies and infants, they need more help.

“For us, we have a responsibility to give back to those who impact our company. Children are our future. They’re our future leaders, doctors, lawyers and grocery store managers. We need to invest in them.”

Other agencies receiving donations from the partnership this year were the Autism Society — Little Tree Learning Center, $5,000; Boys & Girls Club of South Alabama, $5,000; USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital, $30,000; Drug Education Council, $5,000; Mobile Association for Retarded Citizens, $7,500; Mobile Opera, $12,500; Mobile Sheriff’s Flotilla, $25,000; Boys & Girls Club of Pensacola, $5,000; Child Advocacy Center, $5,000; Sacred Heart Health System, $25,000; F.C.A., $5,000; Mobile Association for the Blind, $7,500; Mobile Ballet, $10,000; Mobile Symphony, $7,500; Special Olympics, $5,000; and YMCA, $5,000.