from staff
As our community continues to face a tight economy and shrinking budgets, the Daily Record has established this page that will each week chronicle the efforts of local nonprofit organizations. Bailey Publishing & Communications invites all members of the local nonprofit community to submit news, announcements, success stories and any other information they believe would be of interest to our readers. E-mail to: [email protected].
We also encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they try to continue to provide valuable services with reduced resources.
Panera supports Donna
Foundation
Panera Bread donated $2,418.39 to The Donna Foundation to help women on the First Coast living with breast cancer.
The money was raised Oct. 26 when all 13 Jacksonville-area Panera Bread bakery-cafes “went pink” by donating 100 percent of proceeds from that day’s sales of their signature Pink Ribbon Bagel to The Donna Foundation. The community participated in the initiative by purchasing 2,960 Pink Ribbon bagels.
“We are so thankful for Panera Bread’s generosity,” said foundation founder and breast cancer survivor Donna Deegan. “Ever since the economy starting having problems, we’ve had a spike in the number of women asking for our assistance, so this donation will help a lot.”
The Donna Foundation was founded by Deegan after she saw what a financial burden a breast cancer diagnosis can bring upon a family. The foundation raises money to help women on the First Coast living with breast cancer pay for expenses, such as home mortgages and utility bills.
Panera Bread company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes also support charitable causes through the Operation Dough-Nation program. Since it was founded in 1992 to formalize Panera’s commitment to community involvement, Operation Dough-Nation has contributed both monetary and bread donations through its Community Breadbox and Day-End Dough-Nation programs to local food pantries, hunger relief agencies and other community organizations.
In 2009, Panera Bread bakery-cafes collectively donated a retail value of more than $50 million of bread and baked goods to charitable organizations helping to feed the hungry in local communities.
Donations needed for
Thanksgiving meals
Daniel, Florida’s oldest nonprofit child-service agency, is asking North Florida residents to make sure children and families in need have a holiday meal this Thanksgiving.
The agency is collecting materials for Thanksgiving food baskets for the children and families it serves. It is requesting the following for each basket: pie filling, pie crust mix, stuffing (16 oz.), gravy (canned or mix), macaroni and cheese, canned yams, boxes of instant mashed potatoes, canned vegetables and cranberry sauce (16 oz.)
Other nonperishable food items, monetary contributions or grocery store gift cards are also needed. Donors are asked to assemble items in reusable containers, such as laundry baskets, new trash cans or turkey basting bans.
Those interested in help-
ing should contact Nancy Dohn
at 296-1055, ext. 1026, or [email protected].
Philanthropy via gift card
WeGive.org, a project of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, is asking people to consider “Giving the Gift of Giving” as a way of giving thanks and helping to meet the immediate needs of local nonprofits during the start of the holiday season.
“Thanksgiving is approaching and despite the tough times these past few years, people still feel a sense of gratitude,” said center CEO Rena Coughlin. “Our community has a wonderful history of wanting to give back, so why not support a local nonprofit project or purchase a gift card on the WeGive.org site?”
According to Coughlin, WeGive Gift Cards are a way to give back and help someone who really needs assistance, as well as encourage philanthropy among friends, families and associates.
Launched in November 2008, WeGive.org is an online marketplace that has raised almost $30,000 for local projects. Most projects are efforts to meet immediate and urgent needs, such as renovating nonprofit facilities with new floors; purchasing bed linens for residential programs; refurbishing playgrounds; buying equipment, toys and school supplies; and providing basic hygiene items, such as soap, toothpaste and shampoo to people who can’t afford them.
Donations can be made directly to a nonprofit project on the WeGive.org site, but Coughlin also encourages individuals to purchase WeGive gift cards. People receiving the gift cards go on the WeGive.org website, browse through the projects looking for funding and choose which project to support.
WeGive.org gift cards are available in denominations from $10 to $5,000.
“People in our community have many profound needs and they are turning to local nonprofit agencies in record numbers for food, shelter and many other necessities. A WeGive.org gift card will help children and families in real and meaningful ways” said Coughlin.
In addition to the WeGive.org site, the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida provides numerous services to local nonprofit organizations, including advocacy on issues that impact the fiscal health of the nonprofit sector; responding to local nonprofits’ inquiries about nonprofit management; sponsoring seminars, networking and peer learning opportunities; and commissioning research on issues affecting nonprofit.
For more information about WeGive.org, visit www.wegive.org, e-mail [email protected] or call the Nonprofit Center at 390-3222.