The JCC Pumpkin Patch Event, hosted at Austin’s Farm Market on Cockshutt Road, brought together a community of local farmers and supporters.
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Scotlynn SweetPac Growers’ donation of 16,000 pounds of pumpkins for a local event helped raise almost $21,500 for the Juravinski Cancer Center.
SweetPac Growers also donated one of their trucks and a team of Scotlynn volunteers helped transport the pumpkins.
Donations of cornstalks, straw and even more pumpkins were given by Peacock Farms, R&A Kukielka Farms and Campbell Farms.
“Having a team is massive here,” said event organizer Jessica Durka. “We couldn’t do it on our own.”
Money raised will be used to purchase apheresis machines to support patients in the hematology unit at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Center in Hamilton. Used for patients with blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma, the machines play a critical role in stem cell transplantation.
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The Pumpkin Patch Event has raised just under $250,000 for Juravinski over the past seven years.
“I’m pleased to share that we have already been able to initiate the purchase of the first two apheresis machines in 2024 and are well on our way to funding the remaining four thanks to the incredible support of donors like Scotlynn and events like Austin’s Pumpkin Patch,” said Durka, a board member with the Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.
Scotlynn SweetPac CEO Scott Biddle, a resident of Norfolk, said he was proud to be involved.
“It’s about supporting the community we live in and that supports us. Scotlynn and SweetPac Growers are committed to making a difference when we can.”
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