Portland Fire has teamed up with Jamba Juice on a new smoothie designed to raise money for people affected by breast cancer across the Pacific Northwest. The Portland Fire Dragon smoothie is a new menu item created in honor of the city's WNBA team, and every cup sold at participating locations sends $1 toward a Tigard-based nonprofit called Breast Friends.
Portland announced its collaboration with Jamba Juice, and OregonLive reported that proceeds from the new smoothie were earmarked for the nonprofit. Fans and smoothie lovers are encouraged to purchase the drink at participating Jamba Juice locations to support the cause, according to the same report.
A Nonprofit Built on Personal Loss and Community Care
Breast Friends was founded in 2000 by Becky Olson and Sharon Henifin, according to Breast Friends, who set out to create what OregonLive describes as a haven in the storm of cancer for women navigating diagnosis and treatment. The Tigard-based organization has grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting breast cancer patients, and the outlet's report notes it draws its funding from donations, grants and corporate sponsorships.
The group's offerings include support groups, educational workshops, community-building events and one-on-one mentorship, all provided at no cost to participants, per the same report. Smoothie sales provide support for Breast Friends as it offers those programs at no cost.
From Halftime Debut to Smoothie Cup
The partnership builds on a moment from last month, when Portland Fire unveiled Rose, a glitter-breathing dragon serving as the team's mascot, during halftime of a WNBA game at Moda Center on Aug. 23, as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. The new Jamba Juice smoothie now carries that fundraising effort forward, giving fans a way to support the nonprofit with a single purchase.
Jamba Juice has run breast cancer-focused promotions before. Back in October 2014, the company launched a national Pink Whirl in-store donation campaign to raise awareness, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. A separate promotion covered by Muscle & Fitness offered discounts on select food and beverage items while tying purchases to breast cancer donations.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Sports and Breast Cancer Fundraising
The WNBA itself has a history of pairing its platform with breast cancer awareness efforts. The league and its teams aimed to raise awareness and inspire fans during WNBA Breast Health Awareness Week in 2016, according to the NBA, and a similar initiative in 2022 focused on educating fans and supporting those affected by the disease, per the WNBA. Other brands have taken their own swings at large-scale fundraising too; Hooters set a $1 million goal for breast cancer research through local activities during its October 2023 campaign.
For now, the Portland Fire Dragon smoothie stands as a distinctly local answer to that broader trend, linking the city's new professional women's basketball team to a nonprofit that has quietly served Pacific Northwest families for more than two decades. Anyone picking up a smoothie at a participating Jamba Juice location is, in effect, chipping in a dollar toward the support groups, workshops and mentorship that Breast Friends offers free of charge.
