NEW YORK (PRWEB)
August 30, 2022
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Hunger Action Month. For families with a child diagnosed with childhood cancer, the two can be intertwined. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 38.1 million people, including 6.1 million children, experience food insecurity in our nation. During the height of the pandemic, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation saw a 52% increase in requests for emergency financial assistance, and as the cost of food and gas creeps to all-time highs, those requests continue.
Pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 14. According to a recent NPR story, approximately “two-thirds of adults with health care debt who’ve had cancer themselves or in their family have cut spending on food, clothing, or other household basics.” To mark this awareness month and underscore the challenges families face when a child has a life-threatening disease, the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation is offering multiple ways for everyone to get involved and show their heart of gold. Some of the highlights include the following:
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The Jay Fund has partnered with Tyler Robinson Foundation and former NFL player and chef, Derrell Smith, to create healthy and accessible recipes to meet the needs of what families might already have in their pantry. Additionally, we are encouraging those who want to help to start a grocery gift card drive, and collect gift cards to local grocery stores that can be distributed to families the Jay Fund and TRF support. To find out how, click here. - Sam’s Pizza by City Catering in Patterson, NJ graciously granted a missed moment during the pandemic to a terminally ill young man named Wesley. Wesley dreamed of working in a pizzeria, and thanks to the owner of Sam’s Pizza, that dream was fulfilled two weeks prior to his passing. In Wesley’s honor, Sam’s Pizza has named a pie after Wesley and beginning September 6 will be donating a dollar of every pizza made in his honor to help the foundation support families like Wesley’s.
- Get involved with Coach’s Fitness Challenge. Anyone can join and complete daily activities to earn points in our event. Points are added to a live, interactive leaderboard as people compete as an individual or with a team of friends, family, or colleagues. Participants can engage their supporters to join the challenge, support their goals or donate to their campaign during the month of September. Click here to learn more.
- Show your heart of gold on social media. Gold is associated with childhood cancer and on September 7, 2022, we are asking you light-up social media by showing your #heartofgold in support of families tackling childhood cancer by posting a gold heart across platforms in support of those who have a child tackling cancer.
To learn more and discover other ways you can BE THERE and show your support in September and all year long, visit the Tom Coughlin Jay Foundation website.
About The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation helps keep families in their homes, food on the table, the lights on, and so much more when a family is tackling childhood cancer by providing comprehensive financial, emotional, and practical support. The Jay Fund, the nonprofit organization of 2X Super Bowl winning head coach Tom Coughlin, was established in 1996 in the memory and spirit of the late Boston College football player, Jay McGillis, who lost his battle with leukemia. From diagnosis to recovery and beyond, the Jay Fund is part of the team, allowing parents to focus solely on their child’s well-being. The mission is to BE THERE for parents facing the unthinkable so they can BE THERE for their child. To date, the foundation has provided over $16 million in financial assistance and helped over 5,000 families.
Contact:
Karen Hart for
Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation
karenjmhart@gmail.com
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