CHICOPEE/SPRINGFIELD – All Stop & Shop stores are currently accepting donations to support their Help Cure Childhood Cancer campaign. The campaign runs until March 31 and 100 percent of proceeds go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Jimmy Fund and MSK Kids, the Pediatrics Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. All Massachusetts stores will be raising money for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

Since the campaign began, Stop & Shop and its customers have contributed more than $100 million to both hospitals. This has allowed them to make significant advancements in pediatric cancer research and care, according to a press release.

“Our customers and associates’ generosity and participation in the Help Cure Childhood Cancer campaign is unmatched year after year,” said Stop & Shop President, Gordon Reid in the press release. “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and praise their continued commitment to make a difference in the lives of children affected by cancer.”

Former CEO of Stop & Shop, Bob Tobin, started this campaign in the mid-1990s.

“The campaign offered customers what was called a "Triple Winner" card if they made a donation at the register, which was a scratch-off sweepstakes card in which they could win prizes like products generously donated by Stop & Shop vendors,” said a representative of Stop & Shop.

Today, customers can contribute to the campaign both in-store and online. At checkout, customers will be given the option to donate anywhere from $1 to $20 to help support the campaign. This year, Stop & Shop hopes to beat 2020’s donation sum of nearly $2.5 million, but has no specific goal in mind.

“We are simply grateful for our customers and associates’ generosity year after year,” said a representative of Stop & Shop.

Dr. Scott Armstrong, president of Dana-Farber, spoke on how this campaign has helped the hospital. 

“Stop & Shop’s generous philanthropic support over the past two decades has driven the development of one of the largest clinical and research efforts focused on the care of children with difficult to treat brain tumors,” he said in a press release. “It has also prompted the initiation of new programs that support the discovery of cutting-edge new drugs and research focused on understanding how health disparities influence pediatric cancer outcomes. This work would not be possible without the unwavering support from Stop & Shop.”

Those interested in learning more about this campaign or donating are encouraged to visit the Stop & Shop website at www.stopandshop.com.