Campaign for breast cancer awareness

Through October 31, Breads of the World, the Panera Bread franchisee for central and southwestern Ohio, will honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month by offering a Pink Ribbon Bagel -- loaded with cherry chips and real bits of Bing cherries and cranberries. A portion of the proceeds from each Pink Ribbon Bagel sold will benefit the American Cancer Society. This year Panera Bread has partnered with both The Glass Thimble in Columbus, OH and Stitches Quilt Shop out of Cincinnati, to encourage guests to participate in a quilt campaign. The 'Joined In Hope' Pink Ribbon Bagel Campaign will give customers the opportunity to decorate a 6x6 inch piece of fabric with a special message of hope targeted toward survivors, those who have passed and other loved ones living with breast cancer. Additionally, for the first time, a celebrity quilt with squares created and signed by Ohio celebrities will be auctioned off with proceeds going to charity.

Beginning October 1, customers who purchase a Pink Ribbon Bagel will have the opportunity to receive a quilt patch to decorate with a personal message of hope for those living with breast cancer. All of the decorated squares will be collected at the bakery-cafes and patched together to create quilts that will be donated to the American Cancer Society. With the help of Panera Bread, The Glass Thimble, Stitches Quilt Shop and volunteers, this campaign will donate the completed quilts and twenty-five cents from every Pink Ribbon Bagel purchase to the American Cancer Society.

"We're very pleased to work with Panera Bread on this campaign each year," said Don McClure, Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society, Ohio Division. "Their continued service is a testament to their dedication toward finding a cure."

"It's always a pleasure to be able to give something back," adds Jeff Rains, President of Breads of the World, "but we can't take all the credit. There are so many people that make a campaign like this a success: partnering organizations, customers. It's a full community effort."