Panera Bread is once again inviting its customers to celebrate National Autism Awareness Month while scoring a “Touchdown for Autism”. Panera Bread will offer an exclusive “Football” cookie menu item that will only be available in bakery-cafés from April 1st through April 15, 2017. The 7th Annual Touchdown for Autism awareness and fundraising campaign will be hosted at thirty-one (31) Panera Bread Cafés across Broward and Palm Beach Counties (excludes Hallandale Beach) and will benefit The Dan Marino Foundation.
These one-of-a-kind cookies are baked fresh daily at Panera Bread bakery-cafes and will be sold individually or by the “Marino Dozen,” 13 cookies. $1 from the sale of each cookie will benefit the Foundation. In addition, with the generous help of their customers, Panera Bread will be collecting funds in all thirty-one (31) bakery-cafés through their Operation Doughnation boxes located next to the registers at each café. Operation Doughnation boxes will give Panera Bread customers an opportunity to further support The Dan Marino Foundation every time they visit a Panera Bread bakery-café now through May 31, 2017.
“This will be our 7th year teaming up with Panera for our annual cookie campaign. We appreciate everything Sam and his team does to raise awareness and make a difference in the autism community. When a company as strong as Panera gets involved, it helps pave the way for others to follow and we are extremely thankful for the opportunity to stand together,” said Dan Marino, Chairman of the Dan Marino Foundation.
Over the last six years, Panera Bread has raised $368,487, for The Dan Marino Foundation and the Foundation’s programs for children and young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.
“I am so proud of this program and how it has grown,” said Sam Covelli, owner, and CEO of Covelli Enterprises. “Our bakery-cafes are passionate about these cookies, and what they represent, it’s wonderful to see the way the community responds to creating autism awareness with The Dan Marino Foundation.”
Do your part and purchase football cookies at a Panera Bread near you! Be sure to post your cookie experience with the hashtag #marinocookie.
