A referral partner for the families you care for.
Pickles Group provides free peer-to-peer support for kids and teens whose parent or guardian has cancer. Refer a family in minutes and we'll take it from there.
You care for parenting cancer patients.
We help their kids feel less alone.
You already know how isolating a parent's cancer diagnosis can be for kids, and how little bandwidth families have to find support on their own. That's where a referral from you matters most.
Pickles Group is a national nonprofit providing free, peer-to-peer support for kids and teens ages 6–18 impacted by a parent or guardian's cancer. Without a referral from a trusted provider like you, most families never find us. Your referral is often the only bridge between a family in need and the support that could change their child's experience of their parent’s cancer.
We work with families nationwide, across all cancer types, and at every stage of the diagnosis journey, from newly diagnosed to advanced-stage to bereavement.
Two youth programs, organized by age and need.
For most families, these programs work as a continuum. We typically recommend kids with an ill parent start with Connect Over Cancer. From there, many transition into Pickles Jars for ongoing, longer-term support. Families who've already lost a parent to cancer are welcome to start directly with Pickles Jars' bereavement track.
Connect Over Cancer
Activity-based, peer support groups for kids and teens navigating a parent's recent or ongoing cancer diagnosis. Through research-backed social emotional curriculum, kids build coping skills and relationships with peers who get it, in a safe, fun, online environment while learning about cancer in a developmentally appropriate way.
5-week session • Virtual • Free • For ages 6-18
Pickles Jars
Monthly group support for kids and teens who need ongoing connection. Two types of Pickles Jars:
For kids with a parent facing advanced-stage or complex, ongoing cancer
For kids who have lost a parent to cancer
Meets Monthly over the school year • Virtual • Free • For ages 6-18
Not sure which program to start with? Our team provides one-on-one resource navigation to every family to help them choose the best fit.
66,000+
Support Kits shipped to families and hospitals nationwide
4,916
Families supported through a parent’s cancer since 2021
1,742+
Oncology social workers, nurses, doctors, and clinicians referring to and learning from Pickles Group in 2026 alone.
"I appreciate all the information and I will continue to refer families to your programs. All of your programs make a huge impact on my patients and their children, and I always hear positive feedback when I refer people to y'all."
Annie Goss, LSW
Supportive Oncology Social Worker
Northwestern Medicine
You submit their info. With the family’s permission, fill out a short form with their contact details. There’s no initial paperwork for the family to complete on their own.
We do the outreach. Our team reaches out to the family directly to learn about their needs, answer questions, and introduce Pickles Group.
We handle enrollment. We guide the family through enrollment in the program they choose. No extra work on your end. Whether they choose Pickles or not, we will provide extra resource navigation.
We know your time with families is limited so we designed this to be straightforward:
Refer a family in less than 3 minutes.
Families will hear from us within 2 business days of a referral. The information you provide is confidential. It will only be used by Pickles Group to engage with parents, guardians, caregivers or other family members for the purpose of enrolling the children of interested families in Pickles Group's youth programming.
Prefer to let the family reach out to us?
Order free Family Cancer Support Kits for your organization. The Family Cancer Support Kit is a booklet that helps parents and caregivers talk openly with their kids about cancer. It includes information about our programs and how to get in touch with us. It takes a few seconds to hand over, no forms required. Get Support Kits here.
Point them to us. Share picklesgroup.org directly, or simply let them know: "There's a free program called Pickles Group for kids whose parent has cancer. I think it could really help."
Pickles partners with care teams nationwide.
Pickles works alongside oncology care providers and nonprofits across the country to make sure families have the support they need. These are just some of our formal partners.
Learn about our Parenting Patient Champions Program.