Panera Bread to Team Up with Foothill Unity Center

The newly opened Panera Bread in Monrovia plans to team up with Foothill Unity Center, a local food bank and crisis organization that serves area residents.

The bakery-cafe pledges to dedicate all customer donations from the eatery's Community Breadbox program at the new West Huntington Drive location to Foothill Unity, according to a news release.

The location's unsold bread and baked goods also will be donated to the community through its Day-End-Dough-Nation program.

"The Foothill Unity Center works to feed, nourish and offer support to those struggling in the San Gabriel Valley," officials wrote in a news release. "In the past five years, the Foothill Unity Center has tripled the number of people served in the community and become the primary provider of food, crisis management and access to health resources in the area."

Part of Panera's mission is to fight hunger in local communities. That desire has resulted in the company donating unsold bread and baked goods and customer donations to local Southern California hunger relief agencies for the past several years, officials said.

Panera Bread donated around $100 million worth of unsold bread and baked goods through its Day-End-Dough-Nation program last year.

Monrovia's bakery-cafe opened Monday at 600 W. Huntington Drive.  Operators of the eatery have pledged to give the first 25 guests to the location each day through today a stainless steel Panera Bread coffee mug and a voucher for free coffee for a week.

“We’re thrilled to be joining the Monrovia community and to bring 55 new jobs to the area,” said Neil Hunter, joint venture partner, Panera Bread. “Panera Bread has been embraced by so many surrounding communities and we look forward to sharing our wholesome food choices and signature warmth in this neighborhood as well.”

What: Panera Bread
Where: 600 W. Huntington Drive, Monrovia
Store hours: Monday—Saturday, 6 a.m.—10 p.m. and Sundays 7 a.m.—9 p.m.