Dear America: Let's Make Christmas More Comfortable

Lip balm, blankets and "Words of Comfort" can make a merry difference for millions

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pine needles in your boots and sap in your hair. Balancing shopping bags and your checkbook. Fitting into that holiday dress or suit after the delicious gluttony of Thanksgiving. There's a lot about the holidays that can leave us feeling uncomfortable. That's why Giving Comfort – a nonprofit dedicated to helping fight cancer with comfort – is sharing some easy ways to help make millions of Americans more comfortable this holiday season and ease the burden on family and friends who work hard to support them year round.

Gifting tips & tricks
The holidays are a tricky time for everyone trying to find the right gifts for loved ones. This becomes especially challenging if you're shopping for someone affected by cancer. We know where to give our money and where to walk/run for the cause, but what's the best way to help the people we care about in the here and now? Consider these affordable tips for getting them the perfect gift:

1. Skip the chocolates and go for tea
Buying your friend expensive chocolates may be a really bad idea. Chemo alters your taste buds and can make chocolate taste really bad! Instead, wrap up some nice ginger tea (helps with the nausea) with a custom travel mug covered in smiley photos of family and friends.

2. Think socks, yes, socks.
The non-slip socks we dreaded getting from Grandma in the days of yore are now the perfect accessory for hospital visits. Pair them with a matching blanket as a gift and they're exactly what people want when chemo makes them cold and they have to get around on slippery hospital tile.

3. Create a hydration station
When you're going though treatment, you dry up. Lip balm and hand cream are things people just forget to have on them but can give an amazing amount of immediate relief. Put together a little "hydration station" gift by filling a cool water bottle with packets of lip balm and travel-size hand cream. Wrap a bow around the bottle and you're done!

4. Ban boredom
Anything that helps keep people from going stir crazy during 8 hour infusions is helpful, especially for children. For little ones, think gift sets that include coloring books and a new set of crayons or a custom puzzle that forms a picture of their family or favorite pet.  

5. Pick pre-packaged
If you can't imagine making one more trip to the mall, you can purchase a pre-made care package online with the perfect supplies for the patient or caregiver in your life. With Comfort Kits from GivingComfort.org, you can easily get a thoughtful gift delivered AND proceeds from the purchase go toward a kit for a low-income patient as well so you can feel doubly good about your holiday gifting.

6. Be Santa's helper
Give the gift of time. It sounds cheesy, but giving homemade certificates for basic things like running errands while they're in treatment could be the greatest gift of all. The gift of a fully stocked fridge or a clean house should never be underestimated.    

Random acts of comfort
'Tis the season to spread cheer. If you'd like to give back but are pressed for time and money, it only takes a minute to brighten a patient's day with a smile, a story, or just a few words with the new Words of Comfort online hub. Just in time for Giving Tuesday, Words of Comfort offers people an easy way to write and/or submit a photo or video with a message of support for those living with cancer. Messages of friendship, hope, survival, and strength will be there for patients to see anytime they need a smile. Giving Comfort will also hand deliver the messages to patients in need across the country as part of a Comfort Kit: a care package of the most needed and requested items during treatment. 

"Everyone wants to feel like there's someone out there who cares, especially during the holidays," says Elizabeth Howland, Managing Director of Giving Comfort. "It only takes a minute to share a kind word or funny snapshot, but I've seen firsthand how something that simple can make a world of difference to someone feeling scared and alone."

People can also show support on Facebook and Twitter with #GivingComfort. For a Twitter twofer, spread the word even further and use this as your #UNselfie for the holidays.                                                                                    

Want to take things one step further? Consider another low-cost way to help out: an access-from-anywhere blanket drive. Quality blankets are in large supply at low prices during the holidays and can provide much needed comfort and warmth to a patient in need. If you're hosting a holiday party, ask people to bring blankets instead of a dish or as a suggested donation. Feeling crafty or need a new project for your knitting club? Knit a blanket or opt to make a no-sew fleece throw. Whether it's one blanket or many, you can ship your donated blankets to Giving Comfort and they'll take care of the rest. For more information, easy to print blanket drive signage, and no-sew fleece instructions, visit: http://www.givingcomfort.org/blankets.  

"Whether it's a gift we unwrap or a gift in kind, it's so important to feel surrounded by love and caring – even when these gifts or acts of kindness come from a complete stranger," adds Howland.

For more information about Giving Comfort and ways to help this holiday season, visit: www.givingcomfort.org.

About Giving Comfort
This year, more than 1.6 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer. Hundreds of thousands struggle to pay for basic needs, leaving them unable to afford the comfort items that make treatment more bearable. A nonprofit program of the McKesson Foundation, Giving Comfort fights cancer with comfort. It provides patients with Comfort Kits – cancer care packages filled with essential items that help ease the discomfort caused by treatment. Patients in need receive Comfort Kits free-of-charge through a network of Distribution Network Partners, which include hospitals, cancer treatment centers and hospitality houses. Through its e-store, Giving Comfort offers Comfort Kits for sale, with all proceeds going toward Kits for those in need. Founded in 2012, Giving Comfort reaches patients in 33 states through partners like the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald Houses and the Mayo Clinic. To learn more, visit at www.givingcomfort.org.

SOURCE Giving Comfort