ANKENY, Iowa, July 22, 2026 – Can Do Cancer, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, nonmedical
support to adults undergoing chemotherapy in Central Iowa, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the
Iowa Cancer Consortium. The grant, titled “Can Do Cancer: Expansion of Cancer-Specific Pathways,
Year 2,” will fund the second year of the organization's program expansion beginning August 1, 2026.
The grant allows Can Do Cancer to remove cancer-type eligibility restrictions from its enrollment criteria.
Previously available only to breast cancer patients, and then to patients across seven additional cancer
diagnoses following a Year 1 expansion launched November 1, 2025, Can Do Cancer's services will now
be open to any adult receiving IV-infusion chemotherapy at treatment centers in Des Moines and Ames.
These services, offered entirely free of charge and regardless of income or diagnosis, include
chemotherapy-day meals, monthly professional housecleaning, one-on-one peer mentorship through
trained cancer survivor volunteers called Patient Partners, and a welcome package of comfort items for
new patients.
“This grant allows us to finally say yes to every chemotherapy patient who calls us, no matter what
kind of cancer they are fighting. That is something we have wanted to do since the day we founded
Can Do Cancer. Now chemotherapy patients can focus on getting through the day rather than
worrying about what to feed their families, and when patients experience good days, they can spend
that time with loved ones, not on cleaning their house.”
— Molly Zaver, Founder and Board President, Can Do Cancer
Since its founding in April 2012, Can Do Cancer has served more than 1,400 patients across Central
Iowa, maintaining a 97% patient satisfaction rate. The organization's first year of expansion, also funded
by the Iowa Cancer Consortium, grew its Patient Partner network to 85 trained cancer survivor volunteers
and demonstrated that its support model translates effectively across other cancer types.
“Every patient facing chemotherapy needs the same things: a meal on a hard day, help keeping up
with their home, and someone who understands what they are going through. This grant means we
can offer that to every adult chemotherapy patient in Central Iowa, not just some of them.”
— Dayna Boyles-Carpenter, CFRE, Board Member
About Can Do Cancer
Can Do Cancer is an Ankeny, Iowa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in April 2012 by breast cancer
survivor Molly Zaver. The organization provides free, non-medical support to adults undergoing
IV-infusion chemotherapy across Central Iowa, regardless of income or cancer diagnosis. Learn more at
candocancer.org.
