Help for cancer patients struggling with finding the money to travel to treatment facilities or to simply purchase groceries is not far away.
Since 2006, the Bob Perks Fund in State College has given over $1 million to cancer patients in Centre, Clearfield, Blair and Huntingdon counties.
Earlier this year, the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation awarded the Bob Perks Fund a grant to provide grocery store gift cards to cancer patients in Clearfield County.
The Bob Perks Fund has already processed 60 applications from residents of Clearfield County this year, according to information provided by Norma Keller, executive director of the fund.
“In all of 2015, we funded 96 applications so we are well on our way to assisting more cancer patients in 2016 then we did in 2015,” she said.
So far $33,484 has been distributed to those applicants. Last year the fund gave $51,157 to help pay for basic expenses such as rent, utility bills, food, and gas. Since 2012 they have given $228,739 to needy patients in Clearfield County.
“Those assisted by the Bob Perks Fund are too often forced to decide between heating their home and putting food on their tables,” she said. “The emotional pressure of unpaid bills is overwhelming and often stands in the way of focusing on their healthcare.”
This is where the Bob Perks Fund can assist by reducing their financial burdens.
All of the money used to pay patient bills is donated by individuals, families, local foundations, is from grants or were raised during a special event.
Of the money given to Clearfield County cancer patients in 2015, 33 percent of these funds were donated from Clearfield County and 67 percent came from Centre County donors.
The group has received two grants from the CCCF and for two years have received proceeds from the Subaru “Share the Love” program held by Johnson Motors in DuBois. This totaled more than $20,000. Additional funds were raised at smaller events and from individual donations.
“We absolutely do not distribute funds to cancer patients based upon where the funds were raised, “Keller stressed.
She added that they are seeing a major increase in referrals and are working to encourage donations from the four counties they serve.
Of these counties, the highest number of referrals come from Clearfield County.
Anyone wanting to make a donation to assist these cancer patients can do so directly on the Bob Perks Fund Web site, bobperksfund.org.
Those needing assistance should go to their website, bobperksfund.org or call them at 231-2692.
The CCCF is a local charitable endowment that funds charities within Clearfield County allowing them to grow and benefit the local community forever. It provides a simple way to fulfill multiple charitable interests while keeping administrative expenses to a minimum. All funds go to the local charities.
Currently the foundation has 44 different funds including many local charitable groups and 10 scholarship funds. As of July, the foundation’s assets have a market value in excess of $2.5 million.
Contributions to any of the foundation’s endowment funds may be made at the Web site www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org through Paypal or can be mailed to: P.O. Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830.