Jon Hamm, left, and January Jones

The television show “Mad Men” reaches back to a time when society embraced cigarette smoking — but in real life, the company that produces the popular program is helping City of Hope fight the health effects of the tobacco habit.

Major entertainment studio Lionsgate has pledged $15,000 in addition to the $10,000 raised through a charity auction in 2010 to benefit City of Hope’s Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program. The auction featured a walk-on role on “Mad Men,” as well as vintage furniture, props and wardrobe from the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning drama set in the 1960s world of Madison Avenue advertising. The series is produced by Lionsgate and airs on AMC.

“Through the auction, we have been able to support City of Hope’s vital work in the research and treatment of lung cancer, and we’re delighted to contribute once again,” said Sandra Stern, Lionsgate’s chief operating officer of television. “It’s important for all of us involved with ‘Mad Men’ that the smoking depicted in the show, which was ubiquitous in the ‘60s, isn’t glamorized, but rather serves as a vivid reminder of how naïve people were about its harmful effects.”