BILLINGS - Women battling breast cancer are described as “resilient,” “inspirational,” and “courageous.”
The same can be said of not-for-profit Pack the Place in Pink.
“Despite a pandemic, cancer has not slowed down at all. And the whole idea is that we help people that just need a little hug. We call it the ‘pink hug,’ and whatever it is you want to do with those dollars, that’s yours to do with,” explained Susie Paddock, Pack the Place in Pink board member.
Since getting started in 2007, Pack the Place in Pink has given $540,000 to women going through breast cancer treatment.
When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the U.S., the organization began to realize, their events that encourage people to come together, and do just as their name says, pack the place in pink, weren’t going to happen.
“It was like, how are we going to do things this year?” Paddock said.
So, they leaned on the power of pink to persevere.
“We’re going to make the best of everything we can do, and we’re lucky we still do have a number of great supporters,” Paddock said.
Supporters, sponsors, auctions, and donations have all ensured Pack the Place in Pink can still give out their ‘pink hugs,’ along with the sale of their t-shirts, that have a different message every year.
“It’s ‘Grit and Grace,’ and pretty fitting for this year. A little grit, and a little grace, right?” Paddock said during a Zoom meeting, proudly holding up 2020's t-shirt.
For the organization, that grit and grace is going a long way.
“We aren’t going away. We all know that fundraising this year for everybody is just a little more difficult, but we’re hanging in there, and we’ll be there as we move forward. We still want to be here to help people,” Paddock said.
Pack the Place in Pink has several opportunities for the public to support its mission.
An online auction is running through October 24. It can be found by clicking here.
The grit and grace t-shirts can be purchased at the Billings Heights Albertsons at 670 Main St.
If you or someone you know is undergoing breast cancer treatments, you can fill out the referral form on packtheplaceinpink.org on the ‘request assistance’ page.
“We’re still giving, we’ll still do as much as we can at this point,” Paddock said.
A pink game is also scheduled to take place at Montana State University this spring.
