Woodcliff Lake, NJ, July 8, 2013- Magnolia Meals at Home™, a program that delivers nutritious meals at no-cost to patients living with breast cancer and their families, is now available in Essex County, as well as areas of Passaic County. The novel program — a partnership among The Eisai Women’s Oncology Program - Magnolia™, CancerCare©, Cancer Support CommunitySM (CSC) and Meals On Wheels Association of America™ (MOWAA) — launched in May 2012 to those living in and around Woodcliff Lake, NJ and Andover, MA (as well as areas of New York and New Hampshire). It is designed to help patients by providing nourishing meals to households affected by breast cancer so loved ones can spend more quality time together.
“Since Magnolia Meals at Home launched last year, we’ve served over 350 families coping with a breast cancer diagnosis,” said Kathy Nugent, director of social services at CancerCare and program coordinator for the New Jersey area. “By expanding the New Jersey service area, we are excited to reach even more households whose normal routines may have been disrupted by the stressors of dealing with cancer.”
Program participants have expressed their appreciation of Magnolia Meals at Home. Jan Jason of New City, NY said: “Magnolia Meals at Home has been a tremendous help for me. It has provided peace of mind knowing there are nutritionally well-balanced meals waiting for me in the freezer – giving me one less thing to worry about during a very difficult time.”
In addition to Essex and Passaic Counties, Magnolia Meals at Home continues to be offered in the areas where it was launched in 2012. Participants in the program receive up to 2 monthly home meal deliveries, each of which includes up to 10 meals designed to help meet the nutritional needs of people living with breast cancer, and up to 10 meals for family members. In New Jersey, CancerCare identifies people who meet the established criteria and enrolls them in the program. Local Meals On Wheels programs reach out to participants to set up meal deliveries, organize a schedule and provide meals to participants’ homes, and Eisai employees can volunteer to help deliver the meals to families.
“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback about Magnolia Meals at Home, not only from those enrolled in the program, but also from Eisai volunteers who have had the opportunity to interact with the patients they work to help every day,” said Christine Verini, vice president, Corporate Communications and Advocacy at Eisai Inc. “We are excited to expand this important service to families affected by breast cancer in Essex and Passaic counties.”
Metastatic breast cancer or breast cancer patients are eligible to enroll if they meet at least one of the following criteria*+:
- Currently undergoing chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy
- Underwent chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the last 3 months
- Have been discharged from a hospital (admission was cancer related) in the last 3 months
- Receiving adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment
*This can include men or women diagnosed with breast cancer
+There are no requirements for financial need to participate in the program
For additional details about enrollment criteria, please visit www.MagnoliaMealsAtHome.com or contact CancerCare directly toll-free at 1-800-813-HOPE ext. 6809.
About Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., our passionate commitment to patient care is the driving force behind our efforts to help address unmet medical needs. We are a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with discovery, clinical, manufacturing and marketing capabilities. Our key areas of commercial focus include oncology and specialty care (Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders). To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US.
Eisai Inc. has affiliates that are part of a global product creation organization that includes R&D facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as a global demand chain organization that includes manufacturing facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. Eisai’s global areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; metabolic disorders; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs.
About CancerCare
Founded in 1944, CancerCare® is one of the largest organizations providing comprehensive support services to people affected by cancer. CancerCare helps individuals, families, caregivers and the bereaved cope with, and manage, both the emotional and practical challenges of cancer. All of our services are provided by professional oncology social workers and are offered completely free of charge.
A national, nonprofit 501c(3), CancerCare’s free services include counseling, support groups, educational workshops and resources, programs, such as wig clinics and meditation workshops, and financial and co-pay assistance. To learn more, visit www.cancercare.org or call 800-813-HOPE (4673).
About the Cancer Support Community
The mission of the Cancer Support Community ("CSC") is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. In 2009, The Wellness Community and Gilda's Club joined forces to become the Cancer Support Community. The combined organization, with more than 50 years of collective experience, provides the highest quality social and emotional support for people impacted by cancer through a network of 50 licensed affiliates, more than 100 satellite locations, and a vibrant online community, touching more than one million people each year.
Backed by evidence that the best cancer care includes social and emotional support, the Cancer Support Community offers these services free of charge to men, women, and children with any type or stage of cancer, and to their loved ones. As the largest, professionally led, nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community delivers a comprehensive menu of personalized and essential services including support groups, educational workshops, exercise, art and nutrition classes, and social activities for the entire family. In 2011, CSC delivered more than $40 million in free services to patients and families. The Cancer Support Community is advancing the innovations that are becoming the standard in complete cancer care. For more information, visit www.CancerSupportCommunity.org.
About Meals On Wheels
The Meals On Wheels Association of America is the oldest and largest national organization in the United States composed of and representing local, community-based Senior Nutrition Programs in all 50 states as well as the U.S. Territories. There are some 5,000 local Senior Nutrition Programs that collectively serve more than one million meals each day to seniors in need of good nutrition. While remarkable, the one million meals figure underestimates the size and scope of the Meals On Wheels network and its reach and influence in communities across America. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of seniors who receive meals, there are many thousands of dedicated professionals who work in these Senior Nutrition Programs. Perhaps more notable are the many volunteers who also “work” for these programs every day. It is said that this group, numbering up to 1.7 million individuals, comprises the largest volunteer army in the nation. Through this network, Meals On Wheels is working each day to achieve its established mission to end senior hunger in America.
Important contact information for enrollment
In New Jersey and New York, please contact:
Kathy Nugent, LCSW
CancerCare
141 Dayton Street • Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Phone: 1-201-301-6809
Toll-free: 1-800-813-HOPE ext. 6809
knugent@cancercare.org
Additional contact information
Mike Newchok
Meals On Wheels Association of America
14 N. Lee Street • Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone: 1-703-548-5558
Toll-free: 1-888-998-MEAL (1-888-998-6325)
www.mowaa.org
Eisai Coordinator
Eisai Inc.
100 Tice Boulevard • Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey 07677
Phone: 1-201-746-2550
magnolia@eisai.com
All media inquiries please contact:
Lynn Kenney
Eisai Inc.
201-746-2294
Lynn_Kenney@eisai.com
Magnolia™ and Magnolia Meals at Home™ are trademarks of Eisai Inc.
CancerCare is a registered trademark of CancerCare Inc.
The We Are Meals On Wheels logo is a trademark of the Meals On Wheels Association of America, Inc.
The Cancer Support Community logo is a registered service mark of CSC.
Type Press Release
Date Released July 08, 2013