Panera Warwick Benjamin's Book Buddies Summer Reading Benefit to Feature Popular Children's Author Kevin Mulhern

WARWICK, RI, July 26, 2015 —The Panera Bread at 1000 Bald Hill Road in Warwick, Rhode Island continues its Benjamin’s Book Buddies Summer Reading Series this coming Tuesday, July 28 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. with popular children’s author, Kevin Mulhern, all to “Raise the Dough” for B’s Mobility Ride! The proceeds will go to the McDermott family of Warwick to help secure a wheelchair accessible van to support the needs of eight-year-old, Benjamin, who is battling spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a type of muscular dystrophy.

Co-sponsored by local radio show “Reading with Robin”, the event will feature a meet & greet with Mulhern, who will read from his new book, Cody the Cloud. Benjamin will also lead a talk on one of his favorite books, Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchfork. Cookie decorating will be part of the afternoon fun as well. Donation: $20 for a signed Cody the Cloud book or $30 for the signed book and a book bag. Please RSVP at www.benjaminsbookbuddieskevinmulhern.eventbrite.com.

“We are getting closer to the fundraising goal so we hope Tuesday’s Benjamin’s Book Buddies event with author Kevin Mulhern, as well as our last reading event in August, will put us over the top,” said Wendy Kopp, Director of Marketing for Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group.

The final Benjamin’s Book Buddies Summer Reading Series event will take place on Tuesday, August 18 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. and feature readings from My Little Pony Under the Sparking Sea by Mary Jane Begin along with an author meet & greet, cookie decorating and a book discussion led by Benjamin on Floors by Patrick Carmen. Donation: $20 for a signed copy of My Little Pony or $30 for the signed book and a book bag. Please RSVP at www.benjaminsbookbuddiesmaryjanebegin.eventbrite.com.

In addition to holding fundraisers for various local causes, Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group also enjoys a partnership with local food banks and social service agencies where all donations collected through its cafes’ ongoing Panera Cares Community Breadbox™ Program go directly to these causes. This Program gives customers the opportunity to donate money at the register to support the local member food banks’ efforts to provide nutritious food to residents in need. In addition, for years Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group has donated all unsold bread and baked goods each night to local food pantries and other organizations that provide hunger relief through its Day-End Dough-Nation™ program.

Panera Bread/Howley Bread Group owns and operates a total of 28 bakery-cafes in Rhode Island (Cranston, Warwick, East Greenwich, Lincoln, Newport, Providence, Smithfield and Wakefield), Massachusetts (North Attleborough, North Dartmouth, Plainville and Seekonk) and Greater Hartford/Eastern, Connecticut (Bristol, Canton, Enfield, Farmington, Foxwoods, Glastonbury, Groton, Hartford, Lisbon, Manchester (2), Newington, Southington, Waterford, West Hartford and Wethersfield) markets. Catering is also available in most cafes and will be moving from Cranston to Warwick on September 2nd.

To find out about any other upcoming events Panera has scheduled to help B’s Mobility Ride, visit and LIKE its Facebook page /howleybreadgroup. Panera is also asking others in the local community to help raise funds for B’s Mobility Ride and, for those interested, to reach out to Marketing@HowleyBread.com for participation or ideas. Or, for those that simply want to make a donation, please visit www.gofundme.com/bwumj4 to help B’s Mobility Ride today.

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