Matthew 25 Clinic announced today that it has received a $7,500 CVS Health Community Grant as part of CVS Health’s commitment to help people achieve their best health by providing financial assistance to programs that are focused on smoking cessation and prevention. The grant is part of Be The First, CVS Health’s $50 million, five-year initiative to help deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation and extend the company’s commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives.

The support from CVS Health will help Matthew 25 Clinic launch the Freedom from Smoking Program. Tobacco use is an important issue impacting neighborhoods across the country. To overcome this problem in our community, Matthew 25 Clinic will begin offering smoking cessation classes.

“Many of our patients are in need of a helping hand to guide them back to health and enable them to live healthy and successful lives. With the grant from CVS Health, we will be able to give our community members the resources they need to quit smoking,” says Mark Dixon, Matthew 25 Clinic CEO.”

“As a pharmacy innovation company, we are committed to building healthier communities and we believe that providing smoking cessation programs is one of the most effective ways to help people quit smoking and lead tobacco-free lives,” said Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We are pleased to support the work that Matthew 25 Clinic does in the community and we look forward to working with them in fulfilling their program’s mission.”

Matthew 25 Clinic was selected to receive a grant through the CVS Health Community Grants 2016 application process. This year, grants were specifically awarded to smoking cessation programs offered in a community setting that are helping people lead tobacco-free lives and are reducing the prevalence of smoking.

Earlier this year, CVS Health announced Be The First, a five-year, $50 million initiative to help deliver the first tobacco-free generation and extend the company’s commitment to helping people lead tobacco-free lives. With support and funding through CVS Health and the CVS Health Foundation, Be The First supports comprehensive education, advocacy, tobacco control and healthy behavior programming delivered by a group of national partner organizations. For more information about Be The First and CVS Health’s broader commitment to tobacco-free living, please visit www.cvshealth.com/bethefirst.