The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation

CANTON, Mass., May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation (DDBRCF), comprised of local franchise owners and Dunkin' Brands corporate employees, announced $89,251 in grants to support 11 organizations across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC, metropolitan region. The focus of The DDBRCF is to serve our neighborhoods by taking care of their basic needs -- safety, hunger relief and children's health.

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The following local grants are aimed at helping food banks and safety organizations better serve our communities, supporting troops and their families and fighting children's health issues:

New York

• Starlight Children's Foundation (NY*NJ*CT) -- $12,750 to place three Starlight Fun Center™ Mobile Entertainment units in pediatric hospitals such as St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital (Newburgh, NY), Jersey Shore Medical Center (Neptune City, NJ) and Bridgeport Hospital (Bridgeport, CT).
• Long Island Cares, Inc. -- the Harry Chapin Food Bank (Hauppauge, NY) -- $10,000 to provide food for those in need.

New Jersey

• BAPS Charities (Piscataway, NJ) -- $5,001 to benefit the Cooper Cancer Institute and Cherry Hill Police Department.
• The Community Food Bank of New Jersey (Hillside, NJ) -- $10,000 to provide food for those in need.
• Achilles International -- $3,500 to support the 5K Run and Family Walk in Medford, NJ, and provide a three-wheel handcrank bike to a wounded veteran for physical and mental wellness.
• Mt. Laurel Fire District No. 1 (Mount Laurel, NJ) -- $500 for a 9/11 memorial fund.

Pennsylvania

• Philabundance Food Bank (Philadelphia, PA) -- $20,000 to support Philabundance's "Fresh For All" program which provides free fresh fruit and vegetables in a farmer's market setting.
• The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA) -- $10,000 to support patient and family entertainment events coordinated by the hospital's Child Life Department.
• Central PA Food Bank (Lancaster, PA) -- $5,000 to sponsor the Taste of Lancaster, an annual event where local restaurants share samples of food with the community. All proceeds benefit hungry families in Central Pennsylvania.

Washington Metropolitan Region

• Maryland Food Bank (Baltimore, MD) -- $7,500 to provide food for those in need.
• USO of Metropolitan Washington (Joint Base Myer -- Henderson Hall, VA) -- $5,000 to support the Operation Back to School program which provides supplies to children of military service members.

"We are thrilled to provide nearly $90,000 in grants to these worthy organizations that serve the basic needs of our communities through food for the hungry, safety and children's health, and at the same time make a significant impact in the Mid-Atlantic region," said Seth Goldstein, a Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins franchisee and co-chair of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation. "Our brands have a long history of giving back to the communities where we live and work, and we look forward to supporting these local organizations in their efforts to help those in need."

The Mid-Atlantic chapter of The DDBRCF selected the grant recipients based on the magnitude of the problem, the worthiness of the cause and the people it benefited. Launched in 2006, The DDBRCF giving total is more than $2 million.

About The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation

The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation brings together a wide network of stakeholders, including franchisees, crew members and employees. The focus of the Foundation is to serve our neighborhoods by taking care of their basic needs -- safety, hunger relief and children's health.

Contact:
McCall Gosselin
Dunkin' Brands
781-737-5200
[email protected]

SOURCE The Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation