I have been heartened to see so many examples of local people going above and beyond to help one another during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people sewing masks for health care workers and doing food drives to help feed families. When this crisis passes, our charitable spirit will be vital to helping communities rebuild and recover.

As our leaders work to address the devastating impacts of COVID-19, I hope they keep the nonprofits who have been so critical to the health of Hawaii in mind. Many organizations in the charitable community have taken a devastating financial hit during this crisis, including one that is very important to me: the American Cancer Society (ACS).

As a cancer survivor, ACS has been there for me with information and assistance my family and I needed to get through my diagnosis and treatment several years ago.

Now ACS needs our help. As a larger nonprofit, ACS cannot access much of the relief that was part of the original CARES Act. Much aloha to Hawaii’s U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz for his work on Capitol Hill to protect patients during this crisis. The focus of the next stimulus package needs to include relief for nonprofits with more than 500 employees, and further strengthen the charitable giving tax deduction.

One thing is certain: Cancer hasn’t stopped, so neither have we. Cancer patients, survivors and their families need our help more than ever — and we need your support to keep these important patient and caregiver resources available during this difficult time.

What is the American Cancer Society doing to help during the pandemic? It has created a coronavirus, COVID-19 and cancer hub on cancer.org with up-to-date information, including common questions about the coronavirus outbreak and information cancer patients and caregivers need to know about treatments and care.

Support also is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week, through the cancer hotline at 800-227-2345 where trained specialists take calls from cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones. In March, 80% of calls to our hotline were related to COVID-19.

As COVID-19 shifts, the needs of cancer patients and communities, many of the Society’s patient support programs, have become completely virtual, including Reach to Recovery. Reach to Recovery connects newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with breast cancer survivors for peer-to-peer support and is continuing through the dedication of staff completely by phone and email.

We also advocate for public policy to fight cancer through our nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Right now, ACS CAN is calling on Congress to increase access to health coverage and medically necessary cancer treatments, provide federal funding to restart research and clinical trials and offer relief to nonprofits working on the front lines to protect public health. Congress can and should help.

Also, ACS CAN is urging Congress to include in the next stimulus package relief for nonprofits with more than 500 employees. It is also asking Congress to strengthen the charitable giving tax deduction during this critical time to encourage all Americans to support the work of charities stepping up to do more during this crisis.

Please join ACS CAN and me in asking Sen. Schatz and others to help support larger nonprofits like ACS. Like many nonprofits now, donations are scarce and the breadth of services nonprofits like ACS may be able to continue providing is at serious risk.

Honolulu resident Michael Kidonakis volunteers for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (for more, see www.fightcancer.org).