Family-to-Family, a national non-profit hunger and poverty relief organization, has joined forces with Panera Bread for September’s Hunger Action Month, to bring “Let’s Do Dinner!” to Panera Bread Support Centers in Sunset Hills, Missouri and Needham, Massachusetts.
“Let’s Do Dinner!” is a unique food drive effort that asks volunteers to shop every month for all the groceries needed for an impoverished family of five to cook one full, healthy dinner, and bring the items, along with a corresponding recipe, to their workplace, social club or place of worship. A program coordinator then brings everyone’s donated groceries to a local food pantry.
In this case, Family-to-Family has identified two food pantries that will receive the Panera Bread employee donations: the Needham Community Council Food Pantry (Needham, MA) and the Faith Church Food Pantry (Sunset Hills, MO).
“We’re thrilled that Panera chose ‘Let’s Do Dinner!’ — not only because it helps us extend our reach to more struggling families, but also because it helps the community in a hyper-local and personal way,” says Family-to-Family Founder Pam Koner. “We love the idea that Panera employees will be providing bags of grocery ingredients to make a specific dinner meal, even including the recipe… It makes their donations more meaningful for the families picking them up at the pantry.”
Family-to-Family supplies a different shopping list and recipe on its website each month. The ingredients that Panera Bread employees are providing this month are for a meal of pasta with sauce, garlic and broccoli, and fresh bread.
“We are very excited to be collaborating with Family-to-Family on ‘Let’s Do Dinner!’,” says Kate McConnell, Director of Special Impact Initiatives at Panera Bread. “We have been looking for ways to engage our Support Center teams in our fight against hunger and ‘Let’s Do Dinner!’ is easy, fun and makes a big difference in the communities where our team members live and work. The beauty of this program is that our associates are already going grocery shopping so they love that they’re able to make a difference for a neighboring family by just grabbing a few additional items.”
To learn more about “Let’s Do Dinner!” and Family-to-Family, visit www.family-to-family.org.
About Family-to-Family
Family-to-Family, Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit 501c3 hunger and poverty relief organization dedicated to providing food and other basic life essentials to American families struggling with the challenges of poverty. By connecting donors one-to-one with specific families in need, Family-to-Family brings a large and seemingly intractable problem – poverty – into personal focus, making proactive, attainable results possible…one family at a time.
About Panera Bread
As of July 30, 2014, there are 1,818 bakery-cafes in 45 states and in Ontario, Canada operating under the Panera Bread®, Saint Louis Bread Co.® or Paradise Bakery & Cafe® names. We feature high quality, reasonably priced food in a warm, inviting and comfortable environment. With our identity rooted in handcrafted, fresh-baked, artisan bread, we are committed to providing great tasting, quality food that people can trust. Nearly all of our bakery-cafes have a menu highlighted by chicken raised without antibiotics, whole grain bread, and select organic and all-natural ingredients, with zero grams of artificial trans-fat per serving, which provide flavorful, wholesome offerings. Our menu includes a wide variety of year-round favorites complemented by new items introduced seasonally with the goal of creating new standards in everyday food choices. In neighborhoods across the United States and in Ontario, Canada, our customers enjoy our warm and welcoming environment featuring comfortable gathering areas, relaxing decor and free Internet access. Our bakery-cafes routinely donate bread and baked goods to community organizations in need. Additional information is available on our website, http://www.panerabread.com.
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