Winter Wear for Cancer Care
There’s a chill in the air as temperatures recently dipped by more than 20 degrees. But not everyone in the Bronx is ready for it—especially if they are under physical and financial duress from cancer and its treatment.
BOLD coat drive organizers (from left) BOLD volunteer Patty Medina and postdoc fellow Dr. Vandana Chauhan
To address this issue, the Bronx Oncology Living Daily (BOLD) program, Montefiore and Einstein’s free wellness and support initiative for local cancer patients, recently sponsored a coat-and-clothing drive at Einstein to relieve some of that stress. BOLD is part of the Community Outreach & Engagement effort of the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Organizers Patty Medina, a cancer support services consultant for BOLD, and Dr. Vandana Chauhan, a postdoctoral research fellow in the psychosocial oncology program led by BOLD director Dr. Alyson Moadel-Robblee, oversaw the initiative.
“My colleagues and I focus on providing care for the underserved and diverse population of the Bronx, and there is a lot of need,” said Dr. Chauhan. As an example, she mentioned a cancer patient who had a house fire, noting, “She was one of the first people to receive a coat.”
The drive, which ran from early September through October 20, 2023, once again demonstrated the generosity of our Einstein community. “People have donated a lot—our bins are overflowing,” said Dr. Chauhan. In all, the duo collected between 30 and 40 bags of clothing, which included approximately 50 coats.
BOLD intern Krishna Mody and volunteer Averill Clayton take stock of the donated coats
While adult coats were the primary focus of the drive, warm accessories such as hats, boots, scarves, gloves, socks, and sweaters also were sought. These were retrieved by team of volunteers—including junior staff, interns in the psychosocial oncology program, and BOLD buddies (peer counselors who are cancer survivors). They also helped distribute the useful items to those who could use them.
The items go not just to BOLD participants or patients at the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center but to “anyone in the Bronx who has cancer,” said Dr. Chauhan. “We also find recipients through community events and local organizations. Patients are eager to see what we bring and happy when they find something they can use.”
Besides providing winter wear for those in need, the drive also offered a way for the Montefiore Einstein community to give back. “We thought it might be a struggle for people to donate,” said Dr. Chauhan. “The fact that they donated so much shows how caring those in our campus community are.”
Recycling clothing reduces our carbon footprint, too. If you’d still like to contribute warm clothing or coats suitable for adults, email vandana.chauhan@einsteinmed.edu.
Posted on: Thursday, November 09, 2023