Ten Jacksonville-area families battling childhood cancer recently received a surprise grocery shopping spree with Jacksonville Jaguars and other sports figures providing a helping hand.
The event was organized by nonprofit Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, founded by the former Jaguars coach to provide such families with financial, emotional and practical support.
Each participating family collected up to $2,000 worth of groceries, with costs covered by Winn-Dixie, the Winn-Dixie Gives Foundation and The Players Championship. Also, The Players provided Winn-Dixie gift cards to another 21 Jay Fund families who aren’t able to attend.
One of the parents receiving groceries was Shanna Martell, whose son was diagnosed with Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma in April.
He has undergone surgery and five cycles of chemotherapy.
"This has been a fight," she said. "We've had to make sacrifices on what's more important — is medication more important or is food more important?" The grocery shopping spree, she said, was "such a relief and such a weight lifted off of our shoulders."
The helpers were Jaguars All-Pro punter Logan Cooke, All-Pro long snapper Ross Matiscik, kicker Cam Little and retired offensive guard Tyler Shatley. They also included Vonetta Flowers, Olympic gold medalist in the 2002 bobsled event; Brian Moorman, former Pro-Bowl punter for the Buffalo Bills, and Donna Orender, commissioner of the Upshot League and former WNBA president and senior vice president of the PGA.
Greg Stanford, Winn-Dixie region vice president, said, "We're really excited to be able to feed and enrich and be part of this community. when these families need it so desperately."
Keli Coughlin, CEO of the Jay Fund, said the groceries are "going to make a tremendous impact."
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, she said, the family income tends to decrease as parents become full-time caregivers, while expenses increase.
"We are seeing more and more need for … food support," Coughlin said. "We want to make sure that these families can have a nutritious meal on the table."
Kevin Copeland, Players 2027 tournament chairman, said his organization participated as a way to "give back. … to truly support these families."
"The Jay Fund has done so much for the Jacksonville community and the people in it," he said.
Beth Reese Cravey has been a reporter for The Florida Times-Union for 45 years, currently specializing in nonprofits and health. She can be reached at bcravey@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 'Such a relief': Jaguars help cancer-stricken families stock pantries
