Predoctoral cancer researcher Charlotte Bergheimer received the Safeway grant. She’ll examine the relationship between the magnitude of food insecurity and the ability of low-income women to get cancer screening and care as recommended by their doctors.
“Thanks to Safeway’s efforts to help breast cancer patients live their lives to the fullest extent possible, we now have adequate funding to research the impact food insecurity is having on breast cancer screening and the survival rate of low-income women with advanced stage breast cancer,” said UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Charlotte Bergheimer. “The $50,000 grant from Safeway will help us evaluate the feasibility of a community-based program for increasing breast cancer screening among women who identify as food insecure, which can be a barrier to preventative cancer care and early diagnosis.”
Safeway said more than $1.2 million has been donated to nonprofit organizations and research institutions dedicated to fighting breast cancer. Donations were collected at check stands during the month of April at over 280 Safeway stores across the Northern California Division.
“Supporting the health and wellness of our communities is a vital component of the Safeway mission,” said Karl Schroeder, Safeway’s Division President of Northern California. “We take great pride each year in raising funds for breast cancer research and we are honored to partner alongside these organizations as they tirelessly work to find new ways to combat this disease.”
The funds will be used to benefit 32 breast cancer programs, which are aimed at helping increase access to cancer prevention, researching alternative cancer medicines and supporting patients enrolled in trial programs. The nonprofit organizations who benefited from the donations were invited to submit a grant proposal for funding consideration.
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 100,000 adults and children every year and access to more than 200 active clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program engages more than 240 scientists at UC Davis who work collaboratively to advance discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Patients have access to leading-edge care, including immunotherapy and other targeted treatments. Its Office of Community Outreach and Engagement addresses disparities in cancer outcomes across diverse populations, and the cancer center provides comprehensive education and workforce development programs for the next generation of clinicians and scientists. For more information, visit cancer.ucdavis.edu.
