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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Cheesecake Factory Joins the Fight Against Hunger

This column highlights philanthropic activities by businesses. The Cheesecake Factory’s “Drive Out Hunger” Tour officially kicked off August 31 as a customized bread truck rolled out of the Calabasas location with the purpose of collecting cans of soup in support of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief charity. The tour will travel coast-to-coast visiting 30 cities in 30 days, stopping at a different Cheesecake Factory restaurant each day in September with a goal of collecting 100,000 cans of soup before the tour concludes in Washington, D.C. on September 30. The first 500 attendees to donate two cans of soup at each location will receive a complimentary slice of the restaurant’s new Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. “We are very pleased The Cheesecake Factory has chosen to work with Feeding America on a multi-faceted outreach effort to raise awareness of this important issue as well as to coordinate both food and financial donations to support our local food banks,” said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. The effort is especially important as every one in eight people struggle with hunger today in the United States, according to the organization. More than 200 Feeding America member food banks supply food upwards of 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. “The ‘Drive Out Hunger’ Tour provides an excellent opportunity for communities across the country to join The Cheesecake Factory and Feeding America in the fight to end hunger in America.” As the tour comes to a close, all Cheesecake Factory restaurants nationwide will also invite guests to support their local food bank with the “You Dine, We Donate” event. On September 30, guests who bring in two cans of soup when they dine at any Cheesecake Factory will have 10 percent of their guest check donated to the local food bank. Support: The Third Annual Mile of Quarters fundraiser to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley was held Sept. 12 at Westfield Topanga Mall. The event consists of community members contributing quarters to be laid out for one mile (5,280 feet), stretching through the Canyon section of the Mall. One foot of quarters equals $3.25, and the entire mile yields $17,160 in quarters. “This is not a major fundraising event for large donors; we look forward to parents and grandparents bringing their youngsters out to the mall and helping them understand the value of supporting others in their communities,” said Chairman Gary Thomas. Last year the event attracted thousands of community members and over 60,000 quarters were collected. Key corporate sponsors this year included Councilman Dennis P. Zine, Wells Fargo Bank, Westfield, Keyes Motors, Neiman Marcus, Blue Shield of California, Henry’s Farmers Market, Aaron Thomas & Associates, Cooper Communications, Ellen and Howard Wang, Corporate Pointe at West Hills, and several others. Founded in 1995, The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley has more than 2,500 members, and approximately 150 youth visit the facility each day. Fundraiser: The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer held its annual gala “Evening Under the Stars” to raise funds in support of efforts to help children with cancer. The event was held Sept. 12 and included the participation of the multi-Grammy nominated band The Fabulous Thunderbirds. It also featured food and wine as well as silent auctions. The Foundation provides financial and emotional support to children and their families in the Santa Clarita and surrounding valleys. Scholarships: Kaiser Permanente recently awarded more than $52,000 in grants to seven local nonprofit organizations. Embracing a social mission to enhance community health, Kaiser offered financial support to the Boys and Girls Club of the Santa Clarita Valley; Child & Family Center; Grandparents as Parents; Michael Hoefflin Foundation; Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers; The Foundation for Children’s Dental Health; and weSPARK Cancer Resource Center. Tournament: The Ventura County Contractors Association’s 25th Annual Ted Flesher Memorial Golf Tourney raised funds for student scholarships this year. Thirty-eight teams consisting of 152 players participated in this year’s tournament at Spanish Hills County Club in Camarillo on July 22. Sponsors donated more than $8,000 in raffle prizes, including two wide-screen Sony LCD televisions. All proceeds support VCCA’s scholarship foundation, awarded annually in May to students pursuing a career in the construction industry. “The VCCA wants to ensure that students have the opportunity and support to begin a career in the construction area,” said Tommy Tatangelo, president of the VCCA. VCCA is a non-profit membership association of qualified general contractors, subcontractors, building material suppliers and many other construction industry businesses, with more than 750 members and associates. Awareness: The Antelope Valley Fair’s “Ride for the Pink – this Rides for You” event, used bullfighting to promote breast cancer awareness. Breast cancer literature was distributed during the event and patrons were able to dedicate a bull ride for $100 to a friend going through tough times or to honor the memory of a loved. One hundred percent of donations collected during the August 28 event went to Breast Cancer Research. “The Antelope Valley Fair has long fulfilled its role of community exhibition and exposition. Combining exciting field events with notable charitable causes is consistent with the Fair’s overall mission”, said Marketing Manager, Wendy Bozigian. Upcoming: A golf tournament to help enhance the pediatrics program at Providence Tarzana Medical Center will be the inaugural event of the newly formed Providence Tarzana Foundation. Proceeds from the event planned for November 2, will help Providence Tarzana upgrade and equip the newborn and pediatric intensive care units. The goal is to raise $100,000. On the department’s wish list are equipment for cooling newborns at risk of brain injury and new state-of-the-art monitoring systems for critically ill children and newborns. “While we do a very good job of taking care of children, there are a lot of projects we would like to do to make our pediatric ward much more comprehensive,” said tournament co-chairman Cesar Chavarria, M.D., who specializes in pediatric critical care medicine at Providence Tarzana. “We hope to acquire equipment and to upgrade our program to better treat both medical and psychological needs of children who, unfortunately, have to be in the hospital.” The pediatrics department treats children of all income levels and backgrounds from throughout the San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley and the Conejo, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys. The effort to advance its pediatric care is especially important as more than 65 California hospitals have either closed or eliminated pediatric units in the past decade, a loss of more than 800 hospital beds for children. Patty Williams, executive director of the Providence Tarzana Foundation, is hoping local businesses and community leaders will get on board to contribute to this first fund-raiser. “We’re excited to be hosting our first big event, especially for such a worthwhile cause,” she said. – Compiled by Andrea Alegria

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