Compassion doesn’t always look dramatic. Often, it’s just the quiet ways people show up for one another — especially when things are hard. It’s about offering comfort and treating every person with dignity, no matter what they’re facing. Two Northwest Indiana organizations offer compassion in very different ways, yet their goal is the same.

You can support their efforts from Monday, Sept. 1, through Sunday, Sept. 7, through the Checkout Challenge Round Up. In Lake County, proceeds from the Round Up at Strack & Van Til stores will benefit Phil’s Friends in Crown Point and, in Porter County stores, funds will support Valparaiso-based VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana. Customers across the Region can round up their purchase to the nearest dollar when shopping at all Strack & Van Til stores with those extra funds split between the two organizations.

Phil’s Friends is dedicated to helping those affected by cancer by providing them with faith-based cancer support, including heart-felt support and uplifting prayers, notes Director of Operations Judy Earnshaw. In addition, the group brings hope and encouragement to those facing cancer by delivering free, customized care packages. The compassionate staff and volunteers at Phil’s Friends strive to remind patients and their families that they are never alone on their journey.

Round up proceeds will help reduce the cost of care packages, says Earnshaw. “We ship the care packages for free because we don’t want anyone turned away, but shipping is our biggest expense. These proceeds will help us impact more cancer patients.” 

Phil’s Friends ships 160-200 care packages a week to cancer patients of all ages across the country, explains Earnshaw. Once patients receive the care package, they will receive monthly Cards of Hope in the mail. She says the organization sends approximately 9,000 cards per month. 

“Being part of the Strack & Van Til Checkout Challenge Round Up helps spread awareness about Phil’s Friends and is a huge blessing,” Earnshaw says. “Visit philsfriends.org to request a care package for someone you know going through cancer.”

VNA Hospice Director of Development Maria Galka says the Round Up funds will help keep their doors open.

“As one of the last remaining nonprofit hospices in Northwest Indiana, we understand how critical it is to preserve this resource. Nonprofit hospices deliver extraordinary compassionate care to all people, regardless of insurance status or living arrangements. Additionally, VNA Hospice operates one of only a handful of inpatient hospice facilities left in the state, another vital service that is quickly disappearing,” she notes.

The funds will also support VNA Hospice’s expanded grief and highly comprehensive and supportive bereavement programs for children, adults and families.

VNA Hospice provided home and inpatient hospice care, palliative care and Medical Guardian (personal emergency response system) for more than 1,200 patients and their families last year. In addition, it provided grief support for more than 2,500 people through the Phoenix Center for Grief, including grief support for children and their families through the Phoenix Rising program.

“We are so grateful for this partnership with Strack & Van Til. We have both served the community for decades and through generations of families. Now as the VNA Hospice ‘ReImagines Aging’ into our next 50 years, we want to support graceful aging and quality of life, long before anyone even thinks of hospice,” explains VNA Hospice NWI President & CEO Bob Franko. “We want to help people stay independent and vibrant so they can still walk, drive or bus to their local Strack & Van Til for their weekly groceries or to pick up a lovely bouquet of flowers or some fresh salads from the deli. I think it is really about taking care of our friends, neighbors and families, which I know is important to us and Strack & Van Til.”

 Strack & Van Til continues its more than 95-year tradition of philanthropy by raising funds through the Checkout Challenge Round Up program to help organizations in the communities they serve throughout Northwest Indiana.

Strack & Van Til President Jeff Strack credits customer generosity and employee commitment for the success of the Checkout Challenge Round Ups.

“We are incredibly grateful to our customers. They are the ones who give back to the community. Our stores, with the help of our employees, simply provide our customers with an outlet to give to some of their favorite local organizations,” he explains.

For more information on programs, to volunteer or to donate to Phil’s Friends,  visit philsfriends.org. For program information and opportunities to volunteer and donate to VNA Hospice of Northwest Indiana, visit vnanwi.org. To learn more about how Strack & Van Til gives back to the communities they serve, visit strackandvantil.com/community.