The Ames Hy-Vee Drugstore kicked off its “Month of Funding, Lifetime of Hope” Monday to support breast cancer awareness.

Although nearly all Hy-Vee Drugstores nationwide hold a spring party, the Ames location, 500 Main St., will be sponsoring this charitable event instead, said Greg Hansen, manager of store operations.

“One of our employees is recovering from a struggle against breast cancer,” Hansen said.

“We wanted to do a health-related theme and show our support for all breast cancer victims at the same time.”

Throughout the month of April, the store will be offering several different ways to support breast cancer awareness and research, Hansen said.

For a $1 donation, customers can purchase a pink ribbon, which will be hung from the store’s ceiling. Local businesses can, for a $10 donation, receive a ribbon to hang in their own stores to show their support.

“We’re also selling the official T-shirts for the ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ walk,” Hansen said.

The walk will be held on May 6 at the Water Works Park in Des Moines, said Kathy Holdefer, media relations specialist for the Des Moines chapter of the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a noncompetitive walk,” Holdefer said.

“All ages are welcome and people can walk as far as they want to.”

All of the proceeds will go directly to the American Cancer Society to support the fight against breast cancer, she said.

Holdefer added that the funds will be used not only to support breast cancer research, but also for education and programs for victims of the disease.

“The walk is also a great place for people who care about breast cancer to meet and share their experiences,” she said.

Although Holdefer said individuals are more than welcome to participate, many participants choose to form teams in order to walk together.

Hansen said the Ames Hy-Vee Drugstore has assembled a team that includes most of its employees.

“We’re hoping to get as many more people to go to the walk as possible,” Hansen said.