Free shopping experience for families affected by breast cancer

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — A truly Colorado shopping experience for families affected by breast cancer, they were able to shop for free at the Pueblo Mall this weekend.

The Becky Baker Foundation began preparing for this event at the beginning of the summer, and according to founder Rick Baker, a family even came from Denver to their event.

“They haven’t been able to buy my son a toy in over a year because he’s battling breast cancer and can’t afford it. Today she walked out here with two bags full of toys and the smile on her son’s face makes up for it all,” Baker said. “This weekend we had about 200 shoppers. I estimate they’ve raised about $100,000 on the product so far. We’ve raised $250,000 on the product here since Saturday morning.”

Families had registered in advance and were able to shop for 30 minutes.

Pam Cox and Diana Stone attended the event after hearing about it from a family member. Stone said the event meant a lot to them.

Cox had a lumpectomy and learned she had breast cancer in April. She completed her chemotherapy in July, but she will continue her radiation treatments until next April.

Stone had bilateral breast cancer and her treatment was aggressive.

“Our mother had cancer, so it certainly runs in the family. My brother has it, too. So it tests your courage,” Stone said.

Pueblo Mall has even donated a permanent store space to the nonprofit, and starting in October, families severely affected by breast cancer will be able to shop for free. People are asked to register in advance and there is also a waiting list.