HEADstrong Welcoming Patients Home With New Groceries Program

(Holmes, PA) – This week, the HEADstrong Foundation™ announced plans to introduce a new program which will be focused on providing complimentary groceries for patients being discharged from lengthy inpatient cancer treatment called Groceries 2 Home (G2H).  Upon learning of their discharge, HEADstrong will provide patients with a voucher which can be used to order groceries online with deliveries coordinated upon the patient’s arrival home.  G2H is just another way that HEADstrong is making a difference, providing support and helping families to sustain normalcy during their cancer journey.

HEADstrong discovered that groceries were a significant concern, especially for those who have temporarily relocated for specialized treatment or who have undergone extensive inpatient care requiring lengthy hospital stays. When cancer patients are in the hospital, their families might not have the time or energy to remember to keep their kitchens stocked.  Additionally, exposure to airborne, foodborne and other illnesses can have devastating effects for recovering patients with compromised immune systems.  The hope is that the G2H program will minimize these risks, alleviate unnecessary stress for patients and their families and help to improve the mental wellbeing of patients by welcoming them home with a stocked kitchen.

Nick’s mother and HEADstrong President, Cheryl Colleluori, believes G2H will be very beneficial for those affected by cancer. During Nick’s journey, accessible and helpful programs like G2H did not exist. While reflecting on her family’s experience, Colleluori said, “We know firsthand what it is like to be in the hospital for many weeks. Patients might have no fresh milk after they are discharged nor an immune system to be in grocery stores.” Colleluori is elated that G2H has the potential to reduce even a small amount of stress for families.

Colleluori expects great reactions from patients and their families. She explained, “I think they will feel a sense of relief just to have basic staples in their kitchens like milk, bread, eggs.” She also commented on HEADstrong’s search for the right partnership. It is very important to HEADstrong that Groceries to Home is accessible throughout the nation.  When asked about the projected success of this program, Colleluori said, “Groceries 2 Home is yet another positive program. It [Groceries to Home] is another branch of our tree of improving quality of life for those affected by cancer.”

About HEADstrong Foundation
The HEADstrong Foundation™ is a 501(c)(3) committed to improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their families through providing essential services. HEADstrong™ is an athletic rooted organization that serves the cancer community by granting direct financial assistance to those financially impacted as a result of the disease, by providing complimentary long-term housing and amenities for those traveling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for cancer related treatments through Nick’s House™, by funding innovative cancer research through the Nicholas E. Colleluori Lymphoma research fund, by serving family meals and offering outlets of entertainment, by providing fresh groceries to patients being discharged from lengthy hospital stays, by delivering comfort kits to newly hospitalized patients preparing for treatment or transplant, and by lending an arm of support through their peer to peer advocacy group. The blueprints for the Foundation were conceptualized by Nicholas “HEAD” Colleluori in 2006, from his hospital bed while he underwent treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which ultimately claimed his life.  Today, Nick’s vision is being fulfilled through the relentless efforts of his family, athletes and supporters across the country uniting in the fight against cancers. For more information on the HEADstrong Foundation™ and how they are Getting aHEAD of Cancer™ go to www.HEADstrong.org.