The Volunteer Center honors McKesson with 2015 Corporate Community Involvement Award

As part of its annual Bay Area Volunteer Awards, The Volunteer Center has named McKesson the recipient of its 2015 Corporate Community Involvement Award. Sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, the award recognizes McKesson as a Bay Area business with an outstanding employee involvement program.

"We are thrilled to be recognized for our efforts to get employees engaged in a way that aligns with our company's mission, 'to create better health for all,'" said Christine Lopez, president of the McKesson Foundation. "Whether it's creating cancer care packages for low-income cancer patients, supporting the fight against Ebola, or helping provide food for the homeless, we support employee-driven and company-sponsored initiatives aimed at building better health."

McKesson's Volunteer Program aims to provide opportunities that support employees' efforts to build healthier communities, while also developing a healthy and highly engaged workforce and enhancing community partnerships. This sense of purpose permeates the company's decisions and daily work, and the passion for promoting wellness by doing good is fully embraced by its employees. In fact, last year, 79 percent of McKesson employees had volunteered at least once.

Whether it's small, departmental team-building service projects, or incorporating community service in national sales conferences, or the creation of McKesson's signature programs, the company's commitment to volunteering is evident in its full integration of community service in employee gatherings.

McKesson has developed programs that harness the passion of its employees and align with the McKesson Foundation's focus on cancer care. Cancer touches many of the company's employees, businesses, and partners. It's a devastating disease, physically, emotionally, and financially. After surveying patients and social workers on the most-needed items while undergoing chemotherapy treatment, the McKesson Foundation developed and launched its signature Giving Comfort program in 2012. Giving Comfort provides cancer patients nationwide with Comfort Kits, care packages containing these most-requested items. The Comfort Kits are delivered to patients in collaboration with hospitals, oncology centers and cancer-focused nonprofits across the country.

Each year, McKesson volunteers help assemble Comfort Kits during Community Days, a hallmark all-employee volunteer event. Last year, more than 12,000 McKesson volunteers from 178 sites nationwide helped assemble items for Comfort Kits. To date, Giving Comfort has had a significant impact, having reached more than 35,000 low-income patients across 33 states.

In addition to volunteering with Giving Comfort, employees have participated in Community Health Walks, which are step-challenges or 5K walks benefitting a local cancer care community partners of the site's choice. McKesson has also supported causes employees are most passionate about in their own lives through volunteer grants and its Matching Gifts program.

The 2015 Corporate Community Involvement Award was presented to McKesson at The Volunteer Center's Hats Off event on June 18, 2015.