Union-Snyder Community Action Agency (CAA) is proudly partnering with Mifflinburg steer farmer, Carl Reeder, in the second year of the ‘Win-5 Campaign’.

 

The campaign was designed in 2017 to help Chris Giesige with medical costs associated with her battle with cystic fibrosis (CF); however, to go beyond simply asking for donations, Reeder has pledged that for every $2800 raised for Chris, he will donate the hamburger portion of one of his steers to five food pantries in the area.

 

“Chris and I have always valued the importance of giving back to our community,” commented Reeder. “We try to help others as much as possible. Now that we’re in a position where we’re the ones asking for help, we want to use it as an opportunity to continue to give back where we have the means to.”

 

Last year, Chris faced a serious lung infection following her lung transplant in 2014 that required high cost antibiotics, in addition to preparing for a kidney transplant. To be eligible for the kidney transplant, she needed to gain 10 pounds through a gastronomy tube that cost approximately $1800/month.

 

While the inaugural Win-5 Campaign was an incredible success, the battle for Chris wasn’t over. In the summer of 2018, Chris received news that was equally devastating as it was unexpected: her new lungs had developed cancer. Thankfully, after months of chemotherapy and treatment, Chris is in now in remission. As she still awaits news of a new kidney, Chris needs community help now more than ever.

 

All donations to the ‘Save Chris Fund’ through Pennsylvania Cystic Fibrosis (PACFI) will directly go towards Chris’s medical bills. The high quality, humanely raised hamburger meat from Reeder’s business, Tender Prime Beef LLC, will be donated directly to food pantries in Mifflinburg, Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, McClure, and Milton.

​

For more information about the Win-5 Campaign, please contact Emily Mrusko, Assistant Director, Union-Snyder CAA at emrusko@union-snydercaa.org or (570) 374-0181.