Panera Bread's signature Pink Ribbon Bagel returns this October for its 10th year to help support the fight against breast cancer. The Pink Ribbon Bagel will be sold in participating Southern California area bakery-cafes during the month of October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Participating local bakery-cafes will donate a portion of the proceeds from each Pink Ribbon Bagel sold to a variety of cancer causes throughout the country.
The Panera Pink Ribbon Bagel is baked fresh daily from fresh dough by artisan bakers in each participating bakery-cafe. The bagel features cherry chips, dried cherries and cranberries, vanilla, honey, and brown sugar. This bakery item follows the tradition of “thinking pink” during the month of October in the quest to help eradicate breast cancer disease. Sue Stees, one of Panera Bread's first franchisees and a breast cancer survivor, developed the idea for the Pink Ribbon Bagel in 2001 as a way to help support the cause.
Five to 25 cents of every $1.29 (prices may vary by location) Pink Ribbon Bagel sold in the 50 Panera Bread locations in Southern California will donate proceeds to support breast cancer awareness and research. Proceeds will be granted to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Inland Empire, the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance, and the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.
"Panera Bread is devoted to serving the members of our local community, many of whom have had their lives touched by breast cancer," says Tony Rolland, joint venture partner, Panera Bread. "Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance, and Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation have been leading champions of the cause for many years and we are honored to join them in the fight."
Panera Bread company-owned and franchise-operated bakery-cafes also support charitable causes through its 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 our local communities.
