'Dine and donate' programs making a post-pandemic comeback in St. Joseph

Sep. 22—After a noticeable absence due to the pandemic, "dine and donate" programs benefitting nonprofits are returning to St. Joseph.

Chelsea Howlett, executive director of the Noyes Home in St. Joseph, said the return of these programs provides an easy way for the community to participate in meeting the needs of nonprofit organizations, while also connecting with local restaurants.

"Prior to the pandemic, we had quite a following of folks who participated every Monday, which was the day we set aside for our organization," Howlett said. "Now that things are moving back to normal, we want to be back out there, and we hope our supporters will follow our calendar and our posts on social media and start participating again."

Chain restaurants such as Wendy's and Culver's, as well as locally owned establishments like Frederick Inn, Cabana Grill and Pizza Shoppe are all finding ways to renew their commitment to helping nonprofits by donating a portion of a particular day's income to organizations, according to Renita Neville, campaign director of United Way of St. Jospeh.

Paige Mazur, the general manager of Pizza Shoppe on Belt Highway, said that now that her shop is back up to full staff, Pizza Shoppe looks forward to providing this service for nonprofit organizations again.

"Now that we are back up to full staff, we decided to start reaching out to community groups again to get our foot back in the door for this program," Mazur said. "So, at the beginning of this month we did a fundraiser for the LeBlond cross country team, and it was fantastic. Shortly after, we booked Noyes Home, a traveling baseball team and Pivotal Point so far."

Dine and donate programs work in a variety of ways, depending upon the restaurant involved and the needs of the nonprofit organization. Howlett said that many of the locally owned stores will set aside a day and then give a percentage of the day's income off the top. Other restaurants, including chain restaurants like Chic-Fil-A and Wendy's will utilize vouchers or set aside certain hours of the day and donate based upon those parameters. Regardless of the approach, Howlett said that dine and donate programs are a great way to give.

"Dine and donates are a really great way for us to have a steady flow of donations coming to us throughout the year," Howlett said. "As a working mom myself, I appreciate the opportunities to dine out when possible, and this program allows for convenience for families while knowing they are donating to a good cause."

Mazur said most nonprofits can simply contact store management to set up times to participate in a dine and donate opportunity. She also said that many schools tend to have great success, because of flyers they are able to distribute in advance. Other organizations usually raise awareness through their website and through their development office.

Since participation varies among both chain restaurants and locally owned businesses, nonprofits interested in participation in this kind of fundraising opportunity are encouraged to reach out directly to work with restaurants about dates, times and other parameters of the event.

Charles Christian anchors the evening news for News-Press NOW and also serves as an ordained minister at United Methodist Churches in Union Star and Helena, Missouri. Charles can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowChristian.