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Community Housing Partners received a hearty donation from Panera Bread. A check for $2,000 was given to CHP to support programs in Christansburg and Pulaski. Funds raised will go toward books for young residents of Linden Green and supplies needed to reduce isolation of elderly, disabled residents at Pulaski’s Bluegrass Community Apartments.

Here is the press release from Community Housing Partners.

Christiansburg, VA – A representative from Panera Bread recently presented Community Housing Partners (CHP) with a lot of dough, though not of the flour and water variety.  This gift came in the form of a $2,000 check to support resident services programming in Christiansburg and Pulaski. Panera Bread collected the funds throughout 2011 using collection containers displayed at the two New River Valley Panera Bread bakery-cafés, which are operated under the Blue Ridge Bread franchise.

Christiansburg-based CHP is a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to providing affordable and sustainable housing to low-income individuals and households across the southeast.  Since its inception in 1975, CHP has also committed itself to meeting resident needs and investing in the future success of its residents. This focus on its clients’ economic, social, and environmental needs led to the creation of its Resident Integrated Services & Education (RISE) program in 1997. An organization-wide network that combines human services with economic development programming, RISE programming assists low- to moderate-income families in overcoming commonly faced obstacles around issues such as illiteracy, lack of job skills, poor physical and mental health, social isolation, and money management.

“We are tremendously grateful for this special support from Panera Bread and their generous customers,” said Melissa Byrd, the public relations coordinator at CHP.  “With this donation, CHP will be able to buy much-needed books for the young residents of Linden Green, a Section 8 rental community in Christiansburg, as well as program supplies to help decrease social isolation among the elderly, disabled residents at Puaski’s Bluegrass Community Apartments.”

Panera Bread founded Operation Dough-Nation in 1992 to formalize the company’s commitment to community involvement. One of the major activities of this community outreach effort is the Community Breadbox™ cash collection boxes. The Community BreadboxTM program ensures that donations made at Panera Bread feed back into the community. Cash donations made by customers in the bakery-cafés are distributed to local non-profit organizations.

If you would like to contribute to Panera’s local Community BreadboxTM program, look for the Community BreadboxTM collection containers at the Christiansburg and Blacksburg Panera Bread locations.  For exact locations of the bakery-cafes, please go to www.panerabread.com.