McKesson Community Days (Photo: Business Wire)
Employee volunteers rally to make 19,000 care packages for cancer patients
More than $200,000 in grants will be donated to local cancer charities
McKesson Corporation kicks off a three-week-long companywide volunteer initiative. From October 1-21, 2018, more than 13,000 McKesson employees and their children in 150 locations across the U.S. and Canada will participate in the annual Community Days volunteer event to create care packages for cancer patients.
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McKesson Community Days (Photo: Business Wire)
Community Days is a way for employees–as individuals and teams–to volunteer alongside one another for cancer charities in the cities where they live and work. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the program, which began in McKesson’s San Francisco headquarters and has since spread across North America to become the company’s hallmark volunteer program and a model of McKesson values.
“Giving back and supporting our local communities are principles ingrained in the McKesson culture,” said John Hammergren, chairman and chief executive officer, McKesson Corporation. “It has been my honor over the past 20 years to work alongside my colleagues during Community Days. The impact and power of Team McKesson is far-reaching and benefits thousands of lives. We are proud to continue to support our employees as they generously—and enthusiastically—give back to our communities.”
Employee volunteers will create 19,000 care packages, which include fleece blankets, journals filled with affirmations, and handwritten notes of encouragement. Giving Comfort, a McKesson Foundation program, will work with its network of community partners to distribute the packages to cancer patients nationwide.
The tremendous response from caregivers and patients has affirmed McKesson’s commitment and continues to energize our efforts:
In addition to McKesson employees’ efforts, the McKesson Foundation will donate more than $200,000 in grants to community partners in the U.S. and Canada that provide cancer treatment and support. The grants will provide direct services for cancer patients in need such as transportation to appointments and a place to stay for patients and their families who travel far from home for treatment.
The Giving Comfort program was developed by the McKesson Foundation to provide cancer patients with comfort and relief during chemotherapy treatment. Care packages prepared during Community Days are delivered to patients free-of-charge through the McKesson Foundation’s partnerships with organizations in more than 350 locations – such as the American Cancer Society, the Cancer Support Community, VCU Massey Cancer Center and many other local community organizations.
To learn more about McKesson’s community outreach efforts, please visit https://www.mckesson.com/about-mckesson/corporate-citizenship/our-employees/#communities.
About the McKesson Foundation
Founded in 1943, the McKesson Foundation focuses on supporting McKesson employees' community involvement efforts and cancer care. To maximize our impact, the Foundation invests in organizations that provide cancer support programs, providing care packages for patients through our Giving Comfort program, and growing and diversifying the international marrow registry through the McKesson Marrow Drive. For more information, please contact us at mckessonfoundation@mckesson.com.
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McKesson Corporation
April Marks, 415-732-1384
April.Marks@McKesson.com