This week, restaurant patrons have been buying pink paper breast cancer ribbons for $1. The ribbons will be displayed in the restaurant with the donor’s name listed.

In addition, on Mother’s Day Weekend, May 12 through 14, McDonald’s will donate all of the proceeds from sales of apple pies. The money raised will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which has affiliates throughout the Carolinas.

In addition to raising funds, McDonald’s in the Carolinas, will provide information on breast care on tray liners in the restaurant.

North Carolina State University women’s basketball coach Kay Yow, lends her voice, along with owner/operator Cheryl Hunter, to television and radio public service announcements airing on stations throughout the area.

Hunter owns McDonald’s restaurants in Smithfield and Selma. Yow, a two-time breast cancer survivor, is a strong advocate of early detection and treatment.

“I now live every day to the fullest,” Yow says. “And I know firsthand the importance of a yearly physical, mammogram and breast self-exam.”

Hunter adds, “We all know someone whose life has been changed by a diagnosis of breast cancer. It’s my hope that we can help make a difference with this very important research.”

For the fourth year in a row, McDonald’s local Women’s Operator Network (WON), of which Hunter is a member, is sponsoring this Mother’s Day fundraiser for breast cancer research. To date, the group has donated more than $485,000 to local Komen Affiliates.

WON members include McDonald’s women owner/operators and employees as well as the company’s suppliers.

The WON provides support and training opportunities for women business owners and allows them to lend voice to causes that are important to them. In this case, many WON members have firsthand experience with the impact of breast cancer on families.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation is celebrating 20 years of patient advocacy, building awareness and raising funds for innovative research and community outreach programs. Its mission is to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.