David Perdue Elementary holding annual donation drive for Central Georgia Cancer Care

An elementary school in Warner Robins is holding its annual Donation Drive to benefit Central Georgia Cancer Care.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – An elementary school in Warner Robins is holding its annual Donation Drive to benefit Central Georgia Cancer Care.

Students and staff have been collecting nutritional drinks to give them to give to the center for patients fighting the disease.

David Gorham, a Chapter Trustee at WoodmenLife, and his wife, are dropping nearly 350 of bottles of nutritional drinks, like Boost Ensure, to David Perdue Elementary for their annual donation drive for Central Georgia Cancer Care.

“Jan and the other people in the organization have helped out the cancer center over here a couple times in the past years, and once we found out that this was going on for them, we figured why not get involved,” Gorham said.

The principal at Perdue Elementary, Dr. Andy Payne, says since 2016, the school has collected and donated more than 11,000 bottles of nutritional drinks, and that number doesn’t include the 1,300 they’ve collected in this year’s drive.

“Boost, Ensure, all of that is very expensive, and there are patients who can’t afford it,” Payne said. “I believe they give out samples for them to try, different flavors, and so it’s great that we can teach our kids, but also teach ourselves, what it means to give back to the community.”

Racara Mastervick, a nurse navigator at the Cancer Care Center, says the school’s drive helps their patients because it’s one less thing the patients have to think about.

“Fighting that battle with them losing the ability to eat or having nausea, and so keeping these drinks at a moment’s grab for these patients is very important to keep them stable to be able to complete their therapies and become a cancer survivor,” Mastervick said.

Dr. Payne says their annual donation drive is in the memory and honor of two students, McKenzie Brooks and Aiden Rozier, who died of cancer.

If you’re still interested in making a donation, you can drop off nutritional drinks at the school’s office before 9 a.m. Thursday.

David Perdue Elementary is located at 115 Sutherlin Drive in Warner Robins.