Howley Bread Group And Its Four Panera Cafes In Massachusetts Announce Partnership With Feeding America And Its Member, The Greater Boston Food Bank, To Help End Hunger

Seekonk, MA, September 26, 2013 — In concert with Feeding America’s “Hunger Action Month” the four Panera Bread bakery-cafes in Massachusetts (North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk and North Dartmouth) announce that The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), a Feeding America® member food bank, will be the recipient of all the funds collected through the cafes’ ongoing Panera Cares Community Breadbox™ Program.  The Program gives customers the opportunity to donate money at the counter to support GBFBs efforts to provide nutritious food to eastern Massachusetts residents who are 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.

This commitment is part of Panera Bread’s ongoing effort to lessen 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 Massachusetts provide a total annual food donation of approximately $584,000.

“We’ve been focused on doing our part to help those in need in the Commonwealth for some time now with our Day-End Dough-Nation Program and numerous food drives,” said Bahjat Shariff, Vice President of Operations for Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group.  “When Panera announced its commitment to Feeding America, we were happy to know that these dollars would go directly to The Greater Boston Food Bank which distributes food to agencies serving the hungry in eastern Massachusetts.  In addition to the financial support, the Panera Foundation will also help source higher quality food for local food banks to offer.  This partnership means we now have the pieces in place to make an even greater impact on the food insecurity problem that continues to persist in Massachusetts.”  Shariff added that Howley Bread Group has a volunteer day planned in late September to further engage its associates with Panera’s efforts to end local hunger during “Hunger Action Month” and throughout the year.

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.

“Ending hunger in our community will take time, money and food,” said Catherine D’Amato, GBFB President & CEO.  “Panera customers are playing their role in ending hunger by making donations at participating bakery-cafes.  We thank Panera Bread and Howley Bread Group for their generous contributions of volunteer time, financial donations from the Community Breadbox™ Program and donations of food.  They are true partners in our mission to ‘End Hunger Here’.”

The Greater Boston Food Bank and Panera Bread encourage Rhode Islanders to do their part to end food insecurity during Feeding America’s “Hunger Action Month”.  The many activities in which an individual or business can engage are: wear orange to show support for hunger relief; donate a portion of the daily proceeds from a business to fight hunger; or organize a neighborhood food drive; volunteer at a local food bank, pantry or shelter.

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

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, RI is one of Panera Bread’s top franchises in the country.  The franchisee owns and operates a total of twenty-six bakery-cafes in RI, Southeastern MA and Greater Hartford/Eastern CT 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!