CINJ Foundation, Panera Bread enter joint venture to fight against cancer

Panera Bread® has expanded its contributions to the fight against cancer by selecting the Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) Foundation as its Community Breadbox Partner for 2011.

Now through year's end, funds collected through coin boxes near the registers at Panera Bread bakery-cafés in the central and northern regions of the state will benefit treatment, research, prevention and education efforts at CINJ, which is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Panera will also match a portion of the donations. The Community Breadbox initiative is part of Panera's comprehensive Operation Dough-Nation® Program, which has a concentrated focus on giving back to patrons and the communities in which Panera's bakery-cafés are located. Contributions generated through the program have provided basic necessities and other vital support for those in need.

Having shown great success with past community giving campaigns, Panera Joint Venture Area Director Robert MacEachern felt that Panera could make a significant difference in the cancer fight. "It has always been the Panera mission to serve our communities beyond providing quality products and experience. By expanding our partnership with The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, we know we will have an even greater opportunity to help countless people in our state. These are our patrons, neighbors, employees, friends and family," he said.

"The expansion of this partnership speaks to Panera Bread's long-standing commitment to social responsibility. With New Jersey's cancer incidence rate ranking in the nation's top ten, it truly takes the efforts of an entire community to conquer cancer," said CINJ Foundation Executive Director Elia Desruisseaux. "This year-long effort by Panera will touch the lives of so many CINJ patients and their families, and will allow CINJ physician scientists to be armed with the latest tools and technology to further advance cancer research. We are grateful for Panera's continued dedication to these initiatives."

The Community Breadbox campaign also will include unique opportunities for CINJ to provide education and information about the latest cancer research and the importance of early detection and prevention education both to Panera's patrons and its employees.

It was in 2007 that Panera in northern and central New Jersey first partnered with CINJ on its Pink Ribbon Bagel campaign to support breast cancer research and care.