By Cat Valles, Vitals contributor
Imagine your grocery run for Greek yogurt or bananas providing the chance to give someone access to something much larger: a screening, a meal, support during a clinical trial or relief from the side effects of cancer treatment.
That is what Safeway Foundation helped provide. During the campaign, a small donation made while buying groceries grants help for programs across the Sutter Health system to expand access to screening, treatment and other supports across Northern California.
Each year, the Safeway Foundation invites shoppers to give at the register in support of breast cancer programs, and Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a good reminder of the power a single donation has. In 2026, the grant-funded total came to $84,900. In the past 10 years, the campaign has contributed $822,900 to six Sutter locations, turning thousands of individual acts of generosity into practical support for patients and families.
“A donation at the register may seem like a small gesture, but when thousands of Safeway customers participate, the collective impact is significant,” said Kent Streeb, public affairs and communications director for Safeway’s Northern California market. “We are grateful to our customers, and proud to work alongside Sutter Health, to help strengthen breast cancer services in the communities we share.”
Philanthropy-funded programs across Sutter Health have helped to bridge the gap for a wide range of breast cancer programs and services, including the recent launch of launch of the SP robotic program that led the way for the first single-port robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy in a community-based medical center.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 321,910 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2026, along with 2,670 men. An additional 60,730 women are expected to be diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS. A woman’s average lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 13%, or 1 in 8.
Care that meets the whole person
The campaign’s impact can be felt in Santa Rosa, where a patient received grant-funded services through Sutter Health’s Institute for Health & Healing. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 69, she described treatment as a “whirlwind” of surgery, radiation and other demands. Thanks to the grant, whole person care went beyond clinical treatments to include healing massage, which became an important part of regaining a sense of control.
“Devon allowed me to get control over my body again. She calmed all the noise and addressed each concern and ache and pain,” the patient said. “I had never had a massage before; now I look forward to them as a main part of my healing.”
Sutter’s Institute for Health & Healing provides integrative services that can complement conventional treatment, including nutrition support, acupuncture, psychotherapy, massage and bodywork, and chiropractic care.
“This patient’s words beautifully capture what these grants can make possible: supportive care that helps someone feel more grounded, cared for and connected to their healing during an incredibly challenging time,” said Leanne Gallup, area director for Sutter’s Institute for Health & Healing.
Support across the breast cancer journey
Safeway Foundation grants can help address needs that arise before, during and after treatment. Supported efforts include:
- Helping provide food for patients with cancer and their families
- Supporting patients enrolled in clinical trials
- Increasing access to cancer prevention and screening
- Providing integrative care and other services that help patients manage treatment side effects
The Sutter Health system performs more than 370,000 mammograms each year at more than 60 imaging locations. Its breast cancer network includes more than 250 cancer specialists, six centers accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and access to more than 150 cancer clinical trials. Services include 3D mammography, breast MRI and biopsy, genetic testing and counseling, surgery and reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, patient navigation, rehabilitation, pain management, support groups and wellness programs. Explore Sutter breast cancer services.
“When Safeway shoppers give at the register, they help turn community generosity into direct support for people navigating breast cancer,” said Malissa Burke, Sutter Health vice president of philanthropic giving overseeing fundraising programs in Sonoma and Lake counties, as well as in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. “These grants help patients access practical resources and whole-person services that can ease the burden of treatment, support recovery and remind families they are not facing cancer alone.”
Philanthropy in action
The six Sutter locations benefiting from Safeway Foundation support serve communities from Lake County and the Greater Sacramento area to San Francisco, the Peninsula and Santa Cruz. The programs differ by location, but the goal is shared: helping patients receive timely, compassionate care and added support during one of life’s most difficult experiences.
A donation at checkout may take only a moment. Combined with thousands of others, it can help make screening more accessible, treatment more manageable and healing more complete for breast cancer patients and their families.
