Gloria Gemma and Whole Foods Partner on Meal Delivery Program for Individuals Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment

PAWTUCKET,RI—The Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation is partnering with Whole Foods on an innovative program that provides support to individuals undergoing breast cancer treatment. Through the Gloria’s Angels Healthy Meals Program, patients receive specially prepared, healthy meals delivered directly to their homes by a survivor volunteer.

Gloria’s Angels is the local breast cancer nonprofit’s latest program designed to “provide that little extra to people affected by breast cancer,” according to Maria Gemma, Gloria Gemma’s Executive Director.

Its meal delivery component for women undergoing treatment and their families is led by Whole Foods’ Prepared Foods Team Member, Kathy Learner, who is responsible for preparing the meals alongside her team. “I have experienced all of the trials and tribulations that survivors face while going through treatment, and I understand what the families are going through,” said Learner, a breast cancer survivor. “This is my way to pay it forward, and to give back and help others that are experiencing what I’ve gone through.”

Learner and her team create and prepare a month’s worth of frozen meals for each family—identified by the Gloria Gemma Foundation—based on their dietary needs and preferences. Currently, the Gloria’s Angels Healthy Meals Program serves ten Rhode Island families.

In addition to the Healthy Meals Program, there are three other components that comprise the Gloria’s Angels program—Metastatic Care Program, Oncology Massage for post-treatment women, and Comfort Care Bags for newly diagnosed women.

According to Maria Gemma, community partnerships make Gloria’s Angels possible. Supporters of the program include the Greater Providence Board of Realtors, CVS Health, Rhode Island Rehabilitation Center, Ava Anderson NonToxic, and the Shades of Pink Auction Fundraisers. For more information about partnership opportunities, businesses are encouraged to email Carol Donnelly at carol@gloriagemma.org.

Individuals interested in supporting Gloria’s Angels can do so by filling out donation cards—available from April through November 2015 at the Whole Foods University Heights location in Providence.

Gloria Gemma and Whole Foods are also collaborating on a twelve-part Wellness Workshops program, a free offering that focuses on overall wellness. The next Wellness Workshop is called “Health Starts Here” and takes place on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:00pm at the Rochambeau Library [708 Hope Street in Providence].

For more information about the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, visit www.gloriagemma.org or www.facebook.com/gloriagemma.

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