30,000 Care Packs 4 Kids Delivered Nationwide
October 1, 2026
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Milestone 30,000 Care Packs bringing smiles to Kids with Cancer
NRL Bulldogs star Jacob Kiraz delivers 30,000th Care Pack to kids with cancer at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Kids with Cancer Foundation (KWCF) has celebrated its 30,000th Care Pack delivered to kids undergoing cancer treatment at children’s hospitals around Australia, with Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs NRL player and KWCF ambassador Jacob Kiraz delivering the milestone Care Pack at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Every year around 1200 children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 are diagnosed with cancer, setting them and their family on a rollercoaster of intensive treatments and long stays in hospital. Care Packs 4 Kids – filled with hospital-approved snacks, activity books, small distraction toys and handwritten cards with messages of support – help to make hospital stays and long treatment sessions more manageable and less daunting, providing comfort, distraction and the connecting feeling that someone cares.
Jacob Kiraz joined Kids with Cancer Foundation as an Ambassador in 2023, driven by his own family’s experience when his younger brother Joseph was diagnosed with leukaemia. Watching Joseph and his family navigate the challenges of treatment gave Jacob a firsthand understanding of just how much support families need during that time and inspired him to give back to other families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Since becoming an Ambassador, Jacob has thrown his support behind Kids with Cancer Foundation both on and off the field – joining volunteer packing days at the Foundation’s Castle Hill office, visiting young patients and families at children’s hospitals, and helping make special NRL game-day experiences even more memorable by meeting and spending time with kids and families invited by the Foundation. He also uses his platform as an NRL player to raise awareness of the Foundation’s work and encourage the wider Bulldogs community to get behind the cause.
“Seeing my brother go through cancer treatment was so hard. I’d just sit with him in hospital for hours, trying anything to take his mind off it all. That’s why these Care Packs 4 Kids are so good – they bring a bit of fun into what’s a pretty tough place to be. You see the kids’ eyes light up when the trolley filled with Care Packs rolls in, and then they open the box to see what’s inside – it’s incredible to watch. Delivering the 30,000th Care Pack was such an honour, knowing that’s 30,000 little moments of joy and smiles for kids with cancer, and there’s plenty more to come. Being able to help these kids and their families, in whatever way I can, means a lot to me,” said Jacob Kiraz.
Kids with Cancer Foundation introduced the delivery of Care Packs in 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns. Prior to this, the Foundation provided morning teas, small entertainment toys and activity books through in-person programs at children’s hospitals, but with hospital visitation limited during COVID, Kids with Cancer Foundation launched the Care Pack program – with deliveries going to children’s hospitals all around Australia. In Financial Year 2026 alone, Kids with Cancer Foundation delivered 5,596 Care Packs nationwide.
Care Packs are packed by volunteers and corporate partners who come together at Kids with Cancer Foundation’s Castle Hill office, turning a day of teamwork into meaningful support for children and families facing cancer. Corporate packing sessions also directly contribute to the Care Packs program, while many of the items inside are generously donated by businesses from across Australia. It is a true community effort, bringing people and organisations together with a shared purpose and helping further Kids with Cancer Foundation’s mission of making today easier for kids with cancer and their families.
Care Packs 4 Kids – A special Packign Day
Recently, Jacob Kiraz joined a group of families who have been through their own childhood cancer journeys for a Care Pack filling day.
During the packing session, some of the families shared what it meant to them to receive the Care Packs during treatment.
“You could be sitting in there all day with nothing to do and then your Care Pack would arrive and there was just excitement around what was going to be in the Care Pack.” – Rebecca, Connor’s Mum.
“It’s quite overwhelming at the time, but in general getting all those supports really helps a lot. It really helps us as parents and bring some joy to the children in hospital.” – Nicole, Harry’s Mum.
Check out the video showing just how much magic was in the room during this session, which was also attended by our wonderful Ambassador Matisse Letherbarrow.
Finding moments of childhood within treatment
There were many difficult days for Bianca and her family. But there were also moments of joy.
Bianca made nurses laugh. She created paper doll chains with friends. She coloured in, played with Lego and found little distractions during the long days of treatment.
Care Packs from Kids with Cancer Foundation became part of those moments too, filled with practical items, activities and small comforts to help make hospital days a little easier.
Her family also received financial assistance from the Foundation, helping relieve some of the practical pressure that comes when life has suddenly been turned upside down.
For Bianca’s mum, Mel, sometimes the difference was simply knowing someone was there. Knowing someone cared. Knowing there was somewhere to turn for help.
When so much feels heavy, taking away even a little of that weight allows families to put more of their energy where they desperately want it to be…with their child.
This Septembe, Go Gold for kids with cancer
Gold is the international colour of childhood cancer awareness.
Throughout September, Kids with Cancer Foundation is going gold to stand with kids like Bianca and the thousands of families whose lives have been changed by childhood cancer.
We invite you to stand with them too.
Share their stories. Wear gold. Start conversations about childhood cancer. Fundraise or donate to help provide practical and financial support to children and families when they need it.
Because no family should have to carry the realities of childhood cancer alone.
This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, help us make today easier for kids with cancer and their families. Donate Today>>