BRUNSWICK

The Dean Snell Cancer Foundation recently announced it is the recipient of a two-year grant of $45,000 from the Maine Cancer Foundation.

The grant will help fund transportation costs for cancer patients in financial need while in treatment at the New England Cancer Specialists (NECS) in Brunswick. It will supply gas cards to patients to assist in getting to appointments, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It will also assist patients with their car payments, car insurance, and car repairs.

Patients requiring out-of-state consultation at hospitals in Boston will be provided with funds for lodging and meals in addition to gas for the trips.

The Dean Snell Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization, was established nine years ago by the Snell family in memory of Dean Snell, a patient at NECS, who died of esophageal cancer. Since then, the foundation has helped more than 300 NECS patients with financial needs in the Midcoast region.

Maine Cancer Foundation’s grant is offered as part of its ongoing Challenge Cancer 2020 initiative, aimed at reducing cancer incidence and mortality 20 percent by 2020. The foundation has awarded nearly $6 million since 2015 in support of this initiative focused on prevention, early detection and screening, and access to care for all Mainers.

To learn more about the Maine Cancer Foundation, visit mainecancer.org or contact Kristen Smith at kristen@mainecancer.org or call (207) 773-2553.