Jane's Closet

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One paycheck. It takes one missed paycheck for most to feel the financial burden of collection calls and bills piling up unpaid, and an empty refrigerator or pantry. Imagine the loss of a few paychecks coupled with a diagnosis that requires expensive treatments, medical bills and medications. 

Cancer treatments can lead to overwhelming financial uncertainties along with emotional and physical constraints. It is especially difficult for single parents, the elderly and individuals with no support system. Some are too weak or sick to perform daily functions. Many who work are not able to work full time during their treatment. Some cannot work at all because of debilitating illness or terminated because of increased absenteeism or inability to perform their job functions. 

When faced with financial hardships, patients must make difficult decisions about their livelihood and other basic needs for themselves and their family members. Often a patient and their family must make difficult choices: paying home bills, paying for treatments and medications or putting food on the table. The concern of doing what is necessary for treatment cannot take the forefront when there is a concern about your families’ next meal. 

Jane’s Closet is a food pantry and distribution method created to specifically address the needs of cancer patients in our local community experiencing financial hardship heightened by the diagnosis of cancer. Jane’s Closet is designed to help ease those hardships with meals and nutritional sustenance to meet the needs of families their resources lack. Jane’s Closet is intended to lessen these financial hardships by the provision of short-term food supplementation at no cost to qualifying patients. 

Jane’s Closet is dedicated in honor “Jane” one of the first patients Bobbie Menneg (Founder) encountered. Bobbie met her a few years ago when she had just started treatment. Living on a small fixed income, and with bills piling up, Jane and her husband were needing a “hand up.” Bobbie personally ordered meals for them, bought them groceries and stopped by for visits. After a courageous fight, Jane lost her battle with cancer in February of 2018. In honor of sweet “Baby Jane,” Beyond the Ribbon initiated a program called “Jane’s Closet” to provide groceries and meals to those cancer patients unable to provide food for themselves. 

Your donations are appreciated to make this program readily available for much-needed recipients.