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Canadian Cancer Society bringing Pigs of Hope campaign to Oxford County

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Pigs can’t fly, but they will inspire hope this holiday season.

The Canadian Cancer Society of Oxford will be bringing its new campaign, Pigs of Hope, to the community next week.

People will be able to ‘adopt’ a piggy bank from the society and collect donations throughout the month of December.

The campaign will raise money for Wheel of Hope, a service offered by the Cancer Society to transport cancer patients to and from their appointments. Last year in Oxford County, 39 drivers travelled over 70 thousand kilometers, driving more than 102 patients to 1,222 cancer-related appointments.

The average cost of each ride is approximately $50.

Janis Cunningham said that the society hopes to raise $5,000 from the Pigs of Hope campaign, which would help fund approximately 100 rides for clients.

“It’s a very critical program of ours,” Cunningham said. “When anyone hears the words, ‘you have cancer,’ it changes everything. If we can relieve one little part of the puzzle and take the stress away from somebody by being able to drive them to and from their cancer treatments or appointments, that’s all the better.”

Cunningham said that sometimes people just don’t have the method to get to their appointments and the program is there to help people.

There is a pledge form people will get with their piggy banks for people who wants a tax receipt for a donation above $20.

Piggy banks can be picked up on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the society’s community office at 65 Springbank Ave. North in Woodstock from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For those who can’t make it but would like to adopt a piggy bank they can call the adoption hotline at (519) 537-5592 or 1-877-577-7797.

Those who want to help but can’t get a piggy bank can also log onto convio.cancer.ca/goto/pigsofhope2016 and make a donation to the program.

Those looking to register for the Wheels of Hope program can call 1-888-939-3333. Cunningham said there is a registration fee that is based on a compassionate scale for those who can’t afford it, and after that all rides are free.

bchessell@postmedia.com

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