Handmade hats and comfort items to be given to cancer patients at annual ‘Heaven Can Wait’ walk/run

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Assistance League of Bend will distribute free handmade hats and comfort items to cancer patients and survivors at the annual Heaven Can Wait 5K Walk/Run this Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Redmond High School football stadium.

The event raises funds for Sara's Project, a fund of the St. Charles Foundation that supports breast cancer patients.

Sara's Project provides education, early detection and support services to assist people facing breast cancer throughout Central and Eastern Oregon.

Assistance League of Bend, an all-volunteer nonprofit serving Deschutes County, has participated in the Heaven Can Wait event since 2014.

The distribution will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the stadium. Volunteers plan to hand out knitted beanies, sewn sleep caps, fleece hats and cotton sunhats. Other items available free of charge include “Knitted Knockers” breast prostheses, comfort shawls and lavender pillows.

The giveaway is conducted through Assistance League of Bend's Hats & More program, which began in 1997. Since its inception, the program has distributed thousands of handmade items to community members through the infusion center at St. Charles Cancer Center, Summit Health, Partners In Care, Ronald McDonald House and the Deschutes County Public Health Department.

The handmade items are intended to offer physical warmth and emotional support to individuals undergoing cancer treatment. One cancer patient who received a handmade hat described the experience. “It's like getting a hug; you feel warm and you feel loved,” the recipient said.

Assistance League of Bend operates with no paid staff, allowing funds raised to stay local to support community-based initiatives in Deschutes County. The organization is also a partner of KTVZ's 21 Cares for Kids.