Raising $8,000 for American Red Cross
Sweet Tomatoes Raises over $8,000 for the American Red Cross
PORT RICHEY- (April 5, 2011) – The newest restaurant to the Port Richey community, Sweet Tomatoes, an award-winning restaurant specializing in made-from-scratch soups and salads, raised $8,335 for the American Red Cross Tampa Bay Chapter at its preview fundraiser event held in March. More than 1,500 guests dined at Sweet Tomatoes’ new Port Richey location at 10156 US 19 N, and paid just $5 for an all-you-can-eat experience, of which Sweet Tomatoes donated 100% to the American Red Cross, a charitable organization that provides shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.
“The pre-opening fundraiser was a great success for the restaurant and the American Red Cross. We love the mission of the organization and are excited that we are able to give back to the community with the help of all of our guests during the three-day event.” said Nelly Tascione, General Manager of Sweet Tomatoes.
“We are greatly appreciative of the support from Sweet Tomatoes and for the generosity of the community,” said Tampa Bay Chapter CEO Linda Carbone. “This event is a great example of how partnering with caring neighbors can make a difference.”
Sweet Tomatoes seeks to be a vital and contributing part of each community it operates. To reach this goal, restaurants offer a “Fun-Raiser” program through which charities, churches, schools, athletic teams, scout troops and other non-profit organizations may raise funds by hosting in-store events. The non-profits are invited to hold a special event in a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant and a portion of all event sales will be donated back to the non-profits. The restaurants assist in marketing the events by creating master flyers for distribution and promotion. In addition, Sweet Tomatoes restaurants are encouraged to participate in the community on a local level by means determined appropriate by restaurant management.
Sweet Tomatoes in Port Richey will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. For more information visit www.sweetomatoes.com. For more information on the American Red Cross visit www.redcross.org.
About Sweet Tomatoes
Sweet Tomatoes was founded in 1978 in San Diego and currently operates 115 salad buffet-style restaurants across the western, southern and eastern portions of the United States. Sweet Tomatoes cares about what comes out of guests’ wallets and into their bodies by creating an exceptional, all-you-care-to-eat dining experience with a daily selection of made-from-scratch soups and salads and hand-crafted muffins, focaccia, breads and tasty desserts. By combining high-quality, farm-fresh and scratch-made foods for a fixed price, the restaurants provide guests with the freedom to create their own wholesome meals. The restaurant concept is built around fresh prepared, great-tasting recipes with a salad bar full of seasonal vegetables and tossed salads prepared exhibition-style every 20 minutes. Sweet Tomatoes restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner. For more information, visit www.www.sweettomatoes.com.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.