Employee Volunteers Create 15,000 Care Packages for Cancer Patients

SAN FRANCISCO, October 2, 2017 – From October 1-15, 2017, more than 12,000 McKesson employees in 130 cities across the U.S. and Canada will participate in the annual Community Days volunteer event to help create comfort items for cancer patients.

Employee volunteers will make more than 15,000 hand-fringed fleece blankets, decorated journals with positive affirmations and handwritten notes of encouragement. Patients have said that the personal words of encouragement are particularly comforting while they undergo long, often painful treatment. Giving Comfort, a McKesson Foundation program, will distribute the packages to cancer patients nationwide.

“The personalized messages are extremely thoughtful and heartfelt,” said McKesson employee and cancer survivor Rebecca Osborne. “Treatment can be exhausting, and the kind words of others are a reminder that they are not alone. To know that thousands of people came together to send support is incredibly encouraging during difficult times.”

In addition to McKesson employees’ efforts to create comfort items for patients, the McKesson Foundation will donate $160,000 in grants to community partners all over the U.S. and Canada that provide cancer treatment and support. The grants will be used to provide direct services for cancer patients in need.

“McKesson has a strong commitment to corporate responsibility, and Community Days is one of the ways we deliver on that commitment,” said Jamie Horst, director of corporate citizenship at McKesson. “By creating care packages and providing grants to local partners to support their work, we’re showing our support for cancer patients in their fight.”

The Giving Comfort was program was established by the McKesson Foundation to provide cancer patients with comfort and relief during chemotherapy treatment. Care packages prepared during Community Days are provided 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 Mayo Clinic, and the Cancer Support Community.

To learn more, please visit  http://www.McKesson.com/About-McKesson/Corporate-Citizenship/Volunteering/.

About the McKesson Foundation

Founded in 1943, the McKesson Foundation is dedicated to 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 cancer patients through McKesson Foundation’s Giving Comfort program, and growing and diversifying the international bone marrow registry through the McKesson Marrow Drive.

Each year, the McKesson Foundation contributes more than $4.5 million to nonprofit organizations working to improve the health of our communities. Over the past three years, the Foundation has matched more than $3.4 million in employee donations to charitable organizations. For more information, please contact us at McKessonfoundation@McKesson.com.