Volunteers make care packages for cancer patients in memory of Minnesota woman

(FOX 9) - Volunteers went the extra mile this week to ensure that cancer patients in the Twin Cities are feeling loved and supported.

"It’s incredible to see their reactions," Megan Peterson told FOX 9. "They’re just so grateful and appreciative – it’s just the littlest thing that we can do."

Peterson and others delivered hundreds of care packages to people battling cancer at Twin Cities hospitals on Monday. The work itself started on Saturday, at Eden Prairie’s St. Andrew’s Church, where dozens of strangers came together and assembled 200 care packages.

"This is the least that we can do to try and brighten their day," Peterson said. All of the work is in honor of Peterson’s mother Nancy Jo Weinberger, who passed away five years ago after a battle with ovarian cancer.

Nancy Jo Weinberger (FOX 9)

"I can really feel Nancy’s spirit. She would be beaming and looking down on us just being so proud," her husband Mike said.

The "Baskets from Jojo" come with the right mix of comfort items inside, to make life easier during the pains of chemotherapy, "It’s incredible, we get so many nice words and thank you notes back," Peterson said.

In 2017, author Robb Hiller was given five years to live… Now he is cancer-free, and his book, "The Power of 3" is included in each basket.

"I wish I would’ve had a basket," Hiller said on Monday. "Anything just to get your mind off [cancer], and also know that people love you and care for you, is really helpful."

The annual "Baskets from Jojo" event will continue for years to come, and meanwhile if you know someone who could use a care package, you can check out their webpage HERE.