Pediatric patients going through cancer treatment will receive healthy, nutritious meals thanks to a donation to The Caring Plate, a program offered by the Provision CARES Foundation and the Community Action Committee (CAC). The Butterfly Fund at the East Tennessee Foundation recently donated $5,000 to The Caring Plate.
Established in 2014, The Caring Plate was created to ensure that cancer patients currently receiving treatment have access to healthful, nutritious meals. Since their first delivery, more than 10,500 meals have been served around East Tennessee.
Often, when undergoing treatment, patients or their families may not be able to prepare nutritious meals. Nutrition plays an important role during treatment and recovery by providing the physical and mental strength that patients need.
The Caring Plate program is currently offered through six different healthcare providers: East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Brig Center for Cancer Care, Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center, Provision Proton Therapy Center, Tennessee Cancer Specialists, and the UT Cancer Institute. Provision CARES’ goal is to offer this program at every cancer center in East Tennessee as funding becomes available.
The families of Emily Barger and Maddie Harrill established the Butterfly Fund at the East Tennessee Foundation in memory of their daughters. Both of these beautiful little girls were diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, in 2007. Sadly, both of these girls passed away just weeks apart during the summer of 2008.
The Butterfly Fund supports research, treatment and services dedicated to the defeat of childhood cancers. To date, the Butterfly Fund has donated in excess of $250,000 towards the defeat of childhood cancer.
“We are honored to be a part of something that is making such a positive impact on cancer families in our community,” said Misty Barger, Butterfly Fund co-founder.”
“The Provision CARES Foundation is honored that the Butterfly Fund believes in making The Caring Plate program available to families battling pediatric cancer,” said Provision CARES Foundation Executive Director Les Fout. “These healthy meals allow families to focus on getting healthy, rather than where their next meal is coming from.”
Fout added, “The Caring Plate is made possible by our generous donors who want to make cancer patients cancer survivors.”
For more information about these organizations and programs:
www.provisioncares.org: For information about Provision CARES Foundation or The Caring Plate.
www.butterflyrfund.org: For more information about the Butterfly Fund at the East Tennessee Foundation.