This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Local Voices

Four Panera Bakery-Cafes In Massachusetts Donate $1,893 To Feeding America Partner, Greater Boston Food Bank

November 20, 2013 — Through Panera Bread’s new partnership with Feeding America®, four of its bakery-cafes in Massachusetts (North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk and North Dartmouth) announce their first donation of $1,893.91 to the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), a Feeding America® member food bank based in Boston, Massachusetts.  The third quarter donations were collected through the cafes’ ongoing Panera Cares Community Breadbox™ Program which gives customers the opportunity to donate money at the register to support the Food Bank’s efforts to provide nutritious food to eastern Massachusetts residents in need.  The four participating Panera Bread bakery-cafes are owned and operated by Panera Bread franchisee, Howley Bread Group, LTD based in Cumberland, Rhode Island.

“With the need for food assistance at an all time high in eastern Massachusetts, the timing of this donation could not be better,” said Catherine D’Amato, GBFB President & CEO.  “As a Feeding America member food bank, we feel fortunate to be the beneficiaries of this new partnership with Panera Bread.  I would like to thank Panera’s customers for giving to the Food Bank through the Panera Cares Community Breadbox™ Program, whether it was a recent gift or one in the future.”

This new partnership is part of Panera Bread’s ongoing effort to combat the problem of hunger in America.  For years, Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group has donated all unsold bread and baked goods each night to local Massachusetts food pantries and other organizations that provide hunger relief through its Day-End Dough-Nation™ program.  Collectively, the Panera Bread bakery-cafes across the country donated approximately $100 million worth of retail bread and baked goods in 2012 making the per cafe average annual bread donation approximately $146,000.  With this average in mind, the four Panera Bread/HBG bakery cafes in eastern Massachusetts provide a total annual food donation of approximately $584,000.

Find out what's happening in Attleborowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Every four years, the Greater Boston Food Bank participates in a comprehensive study on the incidence and nature of hunger and food insecurity in the United States.  The most recent study, released in 2010, illustrates how the economic downturn has increased the need for food statewide and in eastern Massachusetts.  The local report reveals as many as 545,000 people were served by GBFB in 2009, a 23 percent increase since the last study was conducted in 2005.  One in nine residents of eastern Massachusetts faces hunger on a regular basis.  In addition, the study indicated that about a third of the households receiving food assistance had at least one child younger than 18 years of age.  Today, it is estimated that more than 142,260 children are at risk of going hungry on any given day in eastern Massachusetts.

Feeding America secures and supplies more than 2 billion pounds of nationally donated food and grocery products annually to its network of 200 food banks across the country. The Greater Boston Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB distributes 47 million pounds of food annually, enough to provide healthy meals to as many as 545,000 people. GBFB is committed to increasing its food distribution to provide at least one meal a day to every person in need within the 190 communities it serves in eastern Massachusetts.

Find out what's happening in Attleborowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All Panera Bread locations are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer a variety of menu items, including breads and bagels, breakfast sandwiches, creative lunch and dinner sandwiches, pastas, hand-tossed salads, homemade soups and a variety of espresso beverages. Panera Bread Catering also caters and delivers its full menu for any occasion at the office or home.  The breakfast, lunch and dinner assortment is sure to impress every time.  For a Panera Bread Catering menu and more, please visit the cafe or www.paneracatering.com.

Howley Bread Group, LTD based in Cumberland, Rhode Island is one of Panera Bread’s top franchises in the country.  The franchisee owns and operates a total of twenty-six bakery-cafes in Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts and Greater Hartford/Eastern Connecticut markets.  For more information, please contact wendy.kopp@panerabread.com or visit the company’s web site at www.panerabreadhbg.com.  Also, like HBG on Facebook at /howleybreadgroup and follow the company on Twitter @panerabreadhbg to hear about upcoming new and returning menu items, community involvement and events, employment opportunities, their Panera culture and much more!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?