The continued tough economy has made it a difficult year for many families across North Carolina. But whatever their situation, Raleigh, NC based Kerr Drug believes every child deserves a chance to start the school year with the supplies they need and that every family deserves to celebrate the holidays. That’s why Kerr Drug, the pioneer in community pharmacy, launched three new community based effort to help North Carolina families.
In September, every Kerr Drug collected school supplies. The company followed that collection with a Thanksgiving food collection that ran throughout the month of until the week before the holiday. Then on the day after Thanksgiving, what retailers call Black Friday, the company began a holiday toy and food drive which will run until the week before Christmas.
Kerr Drug’s collection program is unique in that it is a truly community based collection. The Kerr Cares for Kids Foundation has identified organizations in the community around every Kerr Drug store that can distribute toys and food items to families in need. The Kerr Drug staff will deliver the food to the organizations in time for the holidays. So far in the program, nearly 90 organizations across the state were helped, including Boys and Girls clubs, mission houses, women’s shelters, Catholic Charities and many churches.
“Kerr Drug and its Kerr Cares for Kids Foundation launched our community collections this year as a way to extend the pioneering community pharmacy work we began with our founding 60 years ago,” says Anthony “Tony” Civello, CEO of Kerr Drug. “We are thankful for the community support we have received for all of our collection programs and believe there’s no better way to show our thanks than to help families in our communities during these tough economic times.
For all three collections, bins were located at the front of every Kerr Drug store. Customers are asked to purchase the appropriate items for each collection and place them in the collection bins. The idea for the program came from Kerr Drug employees, who heard from customers early in the year how challenging it was going to be during these difficult to prepare for the new school year as well as the holidays.
General Information
KCFK is a private foundation founded in 2000. KCFK directly supports and benefits children and adolescents who are underprivileged, who are challenged, or who need assistance to overcome debilitating or left-threatening health conditions. KCFK’s mission is to provide a solid base of resources to support various child and adolescent centered charities and health alliances principally focused throughout theCarolina’s region.
As a 501(c) 3, the proceeds raised from the KCFK golf tournament has supported such worthwhile programs and organizations such as the NC Special Olympics, Duke Children’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald Houses of Chapel Hill and Durham and the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities.
About Kerr Drug
Kerr Drug is one of the most recognized and respected names in the chain drug industry. With its roots in the Carolinas and headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., Kerr Drug’s strategic direction is founded in its unique ability to provide patients, the medical community, and health plans access to the most comprehensive and convenient health and wellness offering in the industry. With a mission to be the most comprehensive provider of pharmacy and related healthcare services, while continuing to be the most reliable provider of health-related and convenience items, Kerr is currently providing services that far exceed the traditional drug store mix. For more information, please visit www.kerrdrug.com.
