Smashing their campaign goal by raising twice as much as targeted, Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes guests, team members, farmers, and suppliers have raised $300,000 for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital battle to help kids beat cancer and other serious diseases.
Marking the first time the restaurants, owned by Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., and St. Jude partnered on a national giving campaign, the effort far exceeded initial goals thanks to the generous support of the restaurants’ guests, stakeholders, and parent company. All money raised will go directly toward the hospital to support the St. Jude mission: Finding Cures. Saving Children.
Actor Patrick Warburton, the voice of the Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes “Discover Fresh” advertising campaign, introduced Garden Fresh to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by sharing his personal commitment to St. Jude’s mission.
“I’m so proud of how our guests, restaurant teams and partners stepped up to support this heartfelt effort to help St. Jude in their critical effort to save kids lives,” says John Morberg, CEO of Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., which added $35,000 to the campaign in addition to funds raised through the company’s restaurants and supply partners. “This experience of helping St. Jude kids and our success really helps tell a story of who we are and how committed our people are.”
Morberg made the remarks while presenting a check for the total amount raised at the sixth annual The Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament in Palm Desert, California, an event benefiting St. Jude. The event raised more than $1.7 million this year, bringing the six-year total raised for St. Jude to more than $5 million. That is enough to pay for just over two days of operating expenses at the world-renowned hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
“The enthusiasm of everyone at Garden Fresh for the St. Jude mission inspired so many to support our fight against childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” says Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Raising $300,000 during an inaugural campaign is a tremendous accomplishment, and we appreciate everyone at Garden Fresh who made that possible.”
