Tom Coughlin cheers childhood cancer fund families on surprise Jacksonville shopping spree

Eleven families fighting childhood cancer recently enjoyed a surprise shopping spree at a Jacksonville Winn-Dixie store with former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin cheering them on.

Each family filled two grocery carts of free food, toiletries and household goods.

The outing at the College Park Winn-Dixie was sponsored by Winn-Dixie and The Players Championship for families served by the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund . The nonprofit provides financial and emotional support to families with children battling cancer in Jacksonville, New York and New Jersey. Founded by the former Jaguars and New York Giants Super Bowl coach, the fund is headquartered in Jacksonville Beach.

"For families tackling childhood cancer, their days are often consumed with trips to and from the hospital, and taking time out of their day to go grocery shopping can be challenging," according to the fund.

The financial stresses of medical bills also can impact their buying power.

"A childhood cancer diagnosis affects the entire family. While trying to sort through the unthinkable emotional impact, families also must deal with the financial implications," according to the fund. "The bills don't come all at once, but when they arrive, they pile up."

Winn-Dixie and its charitable arm, the Winn-Dixie Gives Foundation, donated the $15,000 worth of items that filled the grocery carts. The Players Championship gave each family a $300 Winn-Dixie gift card for future shopping. The tournament donated 31 gift cards total, with the remainder going to fund families who were unable to attend the event.

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Coughlin established the Jay Fund in 1996 in the memory of Jay McGillis, a former player he coached at Boston College who died of leukemia. The fund provides families fighting childhood cancer with financial, emotional and practical support and to date has given about $28 million in assistance to about 5,800 familie s. To donate, go to tcjayfund.org .

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tom Coughlin joins childhood cancer families on surprise shopping spree