The Panera Bread Operation Dough-Nation Program has named Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital the sole recipient of all collections received from in-store donation boxes located at Panera Bread stores throughout the greater Houston area.
Effective immediately, cash donations collected in Panera Bread's Community Bread Boxes, housed near the registers of all 18 Houston locations, will be donated to Children's Memorial Hermann.
"We are honored by Panera Bread's commitment to our hospital, and we look forward to this exciting new partnership," said Craig Cordola, CEO of Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.
In addition to the funds collected from each store, Panera Bread will match 50 percent of all contributions from their customers - working toward the eventual goal of raising enough funds for a pediatric emergency examination room at the new Children's Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital.
All Community Bread Boxes in Houston will soon feature the Panera Bread Operation Dough-Nation logo, as well as the Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital logo and Web site address.
"I cannot think of a better recipient for Operation Dough-Nation funds than Children's Memorial Hermann," said John Segura, director of sales and marketing for Panera Bread. "Everyone is very excited about contributing to services that will help children and families."
Founded in 1992, Operation Dough-Nation and the Community Bread Box Program began as a way to formalize Panera Bread's commitment to community involvement and ensure that donations made by customers feed back into their community. Past Community Breadbox efforts have raised as much as $50,000 for the communities served.
Next time you are making plans to dine out or grab a tasty snack, consider stopping by Panera Bread - and make your next meal, and spare change, count.