The holidays can be tough on families, especially this year during the pandemic, and it has been even harder for families in the Tri-Counties who have a child facing pediatric cancer.
In light of this, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) has launched Season of Hope, a campaign that runs now through the holidays to help give these families a joyful holiday season and support them with basic needs going into 2021.
During this challenging year, TBCF has been providing even more services than usual for families, including money for rent assistance, grocery gift cards, additional emotional support groups with licensed therapists, virtual and in-person tutoring, meals and care package delivery, and virtual family fun events to keep kids engaged.
Community support has made it possible for TBCF to provide additional financial assistance to families severely affected by the pandemic.
Not only will the Season of Hope campaign help families with basic needs going into 2021, it also aims to support local families in need this holiday season. This includes assisting them with Christmas trees, grocery/merchant gift cards and Christmas gifts.
TBCF helps these families give a memorable Christmas to their child facing pediatric cancer as well as the child’s siblings.
“Hope seems to be the operative word this holiday season,” said Sheila Saldan, the mother of a child with cancer. “When we felt strong enough to reach out, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation was there to help us begin to heal.
“Teddy Bear gave us something other than the day-to day-fight against cancer, it gave us hope. Hope because there were other families out there going through the same things. Hope because they treated us not as cancer parents, but as regular parents.”
In the coming week, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation will be delivering Christmas gifts and trees to some 53 families and 110 kids. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, volunteers will leave the gifts at the front door of each household at a pre-arranged time, ring the doorbell, and step safety back before family members open the door.
“This year has been particularly difficult and when you add COVID–19 on top of the already traumatic experience of having a child with cancer, you can only imagine how much more added stress these families are facing during the holiday season,” said Dr. Corey Pahanish, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation’s executive director.
“Season of Hope is going to alleviate some of that and give these families joyful memories during this time,” Pahanish said.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, TBCF has:
– Provided some $7,000 in emergency grocery gift cards
– Awarded 37 families an additional $500 through its Special Circumstances Fund
– Doubled the number of family support groups
– Provided additional meals to 137 families
To bring hope and joy to families dealing with pediatric cancer this holiday season, donations can be made at teddybearcancerfoundation.org.