Berry Patch goes pink for October

Pink-colored vanilla ice cream sales to benefit cancer survivors, families

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

ELLERBE — Lee and Amy Berry are more than Ellerbe’s first couple. More than business owners. More than farmers.

They’re also neighbors. And over the  years, they’ve seen enough of their Richmond County-area friends stricken

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com A patron of The Berry Patch in Ellerbe purchases pink vanilla ice cream, proceeds from which will benefit the Clara McLean House in Pinehurst.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
A patron of The Berry Patch in Ellerbe purchases pink vanilla ice cream, proceeds from which will benefit the Clara McLean House in Pinehurst.

with cancer to know that at the worst times of someone’s life, a little help can go a long way. Enter pink ice cream. Throughout October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month, The Berry Patch will hawk pink-colored homemade vanilla ice cream from the world’s largest strawberry, located off U.S. Route 220 in Ellerbe.

Proceeds — $50 for each three-gallon bucket — will be donated to the Clara McLean House. The Clara McLean House is a not-for-profit, community-supported hospitality house for out-of-town patients and families receiving care at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, FirstHealth Hospice House and the Surgery Center of Pinehurst.

Guests must be family members or direct caregivers of a patient at Moore Regional, or a patient scheduled for an outpatient procedure or patients scheduled for surgery the next day.  Guests must live at least 30 miles from Pinehurst and be referred by the patient’s physician or by physicians, nurses or other staff at FirstHealth facilities. This doesn’t affect many Richmond County residents, but it does have an impact on local residents’ family members who travel from far away to help their relatives through difficult times.

This is the second year The Berry Patch has sold pink vanilla ice cream for cancer-stricken families. Last year, Lee Berry said proceeds were $640, and the family rounded that up to a $750 donation. This year, he’s hopeful to reach the $1,000 mark.

“Every little bit helps,” Berry said. “We’ve gotten pretty good response from local” patrons.

Absolutely. In each three-gallon bucket of ice cream, there are approximately 70 child-sized scoops of ice cream. Berry said Robin Maples has made 10 gallons of the special ice cream so far.

According to a December 2013 Community Health Assessment released by Richmond County officials, Richmond County residents had a far greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer than counterparts across the state. The numbers and rate of those afflicted in the county has increased from 2006 to 2010.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com Robin Maples dips some special pink vanilla ice cream for a customer.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Robin Maples dips some special pink vanilla ice cream for a customer.

In 2011, cancer was the second-leading cause of death in the United States — but No. 1 in North Carolina. That year, 18,201 people died of cancer in the state, including 118 in Richmond County.  In 2009, cancer surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in North Carolina. The majority of cancer deaths occur at five sites: colon/rectum, pancreas, lung/bronchus, female breast and prostate.

It is generally recognized that a majority of cancers are related to personal lifestyle or environmental factors, such as smoking and diet, and are therefore preventable. Other factors such as age, gender and family history of a specific cancer are also associated with the development of cancer and aid in the identification of people at high risk.

For several cancers, effective treatment is available. For these cancers, early detection saves lives. That early detection often lands newly diagnosed patients in hospitals. And if in need of a safe play to stay, family members and select patients have the Clara McLean House in Pinehurst as an option.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

 

 

 

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