Panda Express is about to become known for a lot more than amazing orange chicken. According to ABC7, founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng have just donated $100 million to City of Hope to fund a national integrative oncology program. 

Speaking at the announcement, philanthropist Andrew Cherng said, “We’re so blessed that we can do this.” Cherng told the story of his father’s fight with cancer and how City of Hope treated him. “City of Hope was the hope, and they took care of him and took care of him very well.”

The Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology at City of Hope is being built using the funds — the donation is the single largest in City of Hope history. Peggy Cherng continued, “It means new critical thinking, research innovation, and there is no better place to make that happen than the City of Hope.”

Surprisingly, the idea to make the donation was decided over a plate of Panda Express’s iconic orange chicken. “We met at the Panda Cares (philanthropy) event, out in Palm Springs, where we talked about their legendary orange chicken,” said Dr. Edward Kim, vice president of the City of Hope National Medical Center. “Through our conversations I discovered our shared enthusiasm at the prospect of applying evidence-based eastern medicine principles to our standards of cancer care.”

Kim believes that the donation will help propel City of Hope to the forefront of integrative oncology.

Feature photo: Phil Channing