V8 SuperUtes driver Jimmy Vernon has delivered the 20,000th Care Pack to kids with cancer at Westmead Children’s Hospital. These Care Packs are provided by Kids with Cancer Foundation to children's hospitals all around Australia, with weekly deliveries made of these boxes filled with snacks and activities to provide comfort during long hospital visits.
Every year around 1200 children and adolescents age 0 to 18 are diagnosed with cancer, setting them and their family on a roller coaster of intensive treatments and lots of time in hospital. Kids with Cancer Foundation introduced the delivery of Care Packs in 2020, in the midst of the COVID19 outbreak and lockdowns. Prior to this, the Foundation was providing morning teas, small entertainment toys and activity books through in-person programs at children’s hospitals, but when hospital visitation was limited, Kids with Cancer Foundation was determined to find a way to continue to provide this small respite.
These Care Packs are filled with snacks, activity books and small toys to help make hospital stays and long treatment sessions more manageable and less daunting by providing comfort, distraction and the knowledge that someone cares. Packed by volunteers at Kids with Cancer Foundation’s office in Castle Hill, community groups, corporate teams, sports clubs, and school holiday groups help to pack the tens of thousands of Care Packs, with some of the items inside donated by businesses all over Australia.
Giving the gift of a Care Pack brings hope, fun and joy to children undertaking cancer treatment. Donate a Care Pack to a child with cancer for just $20.