The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Care packages created to comfort cancer patients
Employees take part in Alpharetta firm’s Community Days.
More than 480 employee volunteers in Alpharetta came together as part of McKesson’s “Community Days” on Oct. 3 to create comfort items for men and women undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The annual volunteer event’s efforts will be distributed through Giving Comfort, a program of the McKesson Foundation.
Giving Comfort was founded in 2012 to comfort and support cancer patients and help them through the side effects and encourage them to keep fighting.
“We share a commitment to better health in our communities,” said Scott Dufour, senior vice president of business services, McKesson Corp. “Volunteerism is an important part of our corporate culture, and we’re committed to giving back to the communities where we live and work.”
Each year, 1.7 million people in the U.S. are newly diagnosed with cancer. When Giving Comfort asked hundreds of patients and caregivers what they need most while they’re going through treatment, they learned that small comfort items can really help patients endure tough times. The care packages for cancer patients of all ages are designed to provide support and hope during chemotherapy treatment.
During this year’s Community Days, which ran from Oct. 1-15, local McKesson employees and their families made more than 800 blankets; decorated journals that patients can use to jot down their thoughts and use as an appointment book; and wrote personal notes of encouragement for cancer patient recipients in Alpharetta and across the country. On a companywide level, more than 13,000 employees volunteered with Community Days and created 15,000 care packages.
The care packages will be delivered to patients through the McKesson Foundation’s partnerships with organizations such as Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Grady Health.
Although Community Days is a directly an employee volunteerism initiative, Dufour encourages the community to volunteer and support the work of its community partners such as Grady Health, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the American Cancer Society, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Cancer touches us all, and during treatment, the compassion and generosity of a stranger can make all the difference,” added Dufour. “We believe that none of these people should face cancer alone.”
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