Charles “Chuck” Lloyd’s closet grows pinker by the year. He now owns pink socks, ties, shirts, and even a pink suit.

The Bow resident and vice chancellor for the state’s community college system has participated in the American Cancer’s Men Wear Pink campaign for the past eight years to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer.

“I'm doing this for everyone,” said Lloyd. “This is about raising awareness. It impacts men as well. I think there's always a misnomer about breast cancer that it's only women impacted, but it also impacts men. It impacts whole families, whole communities.”

Men Wear Pink happens throughout October, but the message spread and the funds raised hold meaning throughout the year. In 2024, 36 men across different industries raised over $74,000 in New Hampshire. The money goes toward breast cancer research, educational efforts around risk reduction, and comprehensive patient support, according to the American Cancer Society,

“Everybody knows someone that's been impacted by cancer,” said Lloyd, who pledges to wear pink every day each October.

The American Cancer Society estimates that the average lifetime risk of getting breast cancer for men is about 1 in 726. While rare, it does occur. By the end of this year, it is projected around 2,790 new cases will be diagnosed, and about 530 men will die of the disease. For women, these numbers are a lot higher, with breast cancer accounting for around 30% of all female cancers diagnosed each year.

Carol O’Donnell, of Bedford, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 when her son, Evan Capello, was a freshman in high school. O’Donnell’s first mammogram ended up catching the disease early enough that she’s now one year cancer-free. 

To honor his mom’s journey and that of his whole family, Capello, now a high school senior, decided to become a Men Wear Pink champion this fall. He was the youngest participant in the campaign.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while,” he said. “Anything you could do to help is always great. And seeing how much early screening benefited her, it's nice to see that I can help out with other people.”

He wore a pink pin and wristband to school every day and when people asked him questions about it, he shared the scannable donation link attached to the band. Many of his classmates and teachers contributed to his efforts.

For O’Donnell, watching her son tackle this project and share it with their community reiterated the importance of breast cancer awareness and early screenings, which can and do save lives.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed that I had cancer,” she said about her initial screening. “It impacts so many people, and it impacted us.”

Like Capello, Lloyd has found that his pink attire often becomes a conversation starter.

“I love taking the extra minute and saying, ‘Here's why I'm doing it.’ I interact with lots and lots of people in the community at each of our colleges and with my team. People feel comfort in seeing the pink and saying, ‘Number one, thank you for doing what you're doing. But number two, here's how it's impacted me.’”

At a recent event in North Conway, he ran into fellow Men Wear Pink champion Stephen Cote. The two men spotted each other’s pink outfits and realized they both dressed for the same cause.

“We made this connection and started telling each other stories,” Lloyd said. “It turned into this whole group of people that kept coming over to us, and it just turned into this little unintentional interaction.”

A company embracing pink

Associated Grocers of New England had 19 participants this year from New Hampshire and Vermont. The company supports the American Cancer Society each year through Men Wear Pink and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. A lot of their fundraising happens internally among staff, while Men Wear Pink champions at different affiliated stores conduct fundraising among customers.

John Bilodeau, store director of Sully’s in Allenstown, began with Men Wear Pink in 2018. With over $8,000 raised this year, he has become Associated Grocer’s highest fundraiser across both New Hampshire and Vermont. The company as a whole has raised over $244,000 for the fight against breast cancer since it got involved with Men Wear Pink in 2017, with over $34,000 of that money raised by Bilodeau in the past seven years.

At Sully’s, Bilodeau receives vendor donations for items he raffles off to customers who purchase tickets. He also does round-ups at the register, where people can round their purchase up to the next dollar and the extra proceeds go toward Men Wear Pink.

“They don't dismiss it,” Bilodeau said of his customers. “It doesn't matter if they're in there five times a day. They do it anyways. And then my staff is just great, asking everybody and selling. I can't do it without them.”

Sarah Masters of Associated Grocers explained that the campaign remains close to the company’s heart, especially since much of the fundraising happens among staff who donate out of their own pockets, in addition to the store managers who bring the campaign to their communities.

“It’s really the camaraderie and the sense of unity that it provides, regardless of what role you are in the organization or even beyond Associated Grocers, who you are in the community regardless of your background or life experience, age, anything,” Masters said.

The company has done smoked rib dinners for a cause, with Bilodeau lending them his smoker for the occasion. They’ve sold cookie dough, pink bouquets, hot dogs, and more to grow their funds for fighting breast cancer.

Kathleen McDonough, who handles marketing for Associated Grocers, tries to come up with innovative ideas for fundraising each year. She loves to see how meaningful the cause becomes to the community.

“People start to share with you when they see that you have a passion or an interest in something,” McDonough said. “We do have quite a few guys in the warehouse that have said, ‘Hey, can we get one of those pink shirts?’ They might not be saying how it connects to them, but that it connects to them.”

Coming together for a cause

As a survivor, O’Donnell appreciates opportunities for people in her community to rally around this shared cause. She recalls a conversation with a Men Wear Pink Champion, who said he had not been personally affected by breast cancer but that he has three daughters and knew that statistically they could face it in the future.

 “It's anything you can do to make a difference,” she said, referencing back to her son. “I'm so proud of Evan for doing that because not everybody's as lucky as we are.”

Lloyd, whose mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor, finds that his involvement with Men Wear Pink holds meaning both personally and professionally. He views his participation in Men Wear Pink as a civic responsibility – one he very much enjoys carrying out.

“It comes down to role modeling and understanding that we have a responsibility as educators, as leaders, to let people know what we stand for, and, where you can, find a way to provide service, volunteer and support organizations and examine how we can use our role as a platform to help support the community and really support the wellbeing of all of our family and friends,” he said.

For information about breast cancer, visit https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer.html.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com