PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Over 30 families with children suffering from childhood cancer now have a week’s work of healthy pre-made meals after a visit from a local foundation.
At just 5-years-old, Liliana Rodriquez has been battling leukemia most of her life.
“She’s been missing school and we’ve been at the doctor’s and last time we were there for 5 hours straight," her mom, Tiffany Rodriquez, said.
The doctors’ visits and daily medication take a toll on the family of seven.
“And then when we get home, you know, I come home at 6 o’clock after I’ve been there all day and I’m like 'Oh my gosh, food!'," Rodriquez said.
But a surprise visit could help out - The Rodriquez’s were one of 31 families who received trays of healthy meals from the Jay Fund on Saturday. The organization started 25 years ago after a local college coach lost one of his players to leukemia.
This year, volunteers from the PLAYERS Championship helped prepare the meals.
“I think it’s a great example of how philanthropic Northeast Florida and particularly Jacksonville is. You know, Coach Coughlin, Kelly, and their entire family here in Ponte Vedra...based here helping families in Northeast Florida," Jared Rice, THE PLAYERS Executive Director, said.
The meals also came with a $200 gift card for groceries, money that can stock the pantry and help Liliana through her treatment.
“It helps a lot to know that, I was able, knowing that I was able to come home today and that we weren’t going to have to worry about a meal like, it just takes that stress away," Rodriquez said.