Almost every day something happens that makes me very proud of the Edible Arrangements franchise owners and team members. One particular moment comes each month when new franchise owners arrive at our Corporate Headquarters in Wallingford, Connecticut for training.
For two weeks they work diligently to learn the many aspects of running an Edible Arrangements store, culminating near the end of the training when they get a chance to create all our signature fresh fruit arrangements and delicious Chocolate Dipped Fruit. Not wanting to let these creative treats go to waste, we then make them available for the corporate staff to purchase with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to nonprofit organizations that have been selected by our team members.
In the past year and a half, almost $20,000 has been donated to worthy causes such as local food pantries, the Movember Foundation, Lupus Foundation of Connecticut, and several organizations that support cancer patients.
This week, we will be donating over $1,900 to Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a nonprofit organization started by Paul Newman in 1988 that provides a free summer camp for seriously ill children and their families.
Our team selected this organization after a Corporate employee read an article in the local paper about Mackenzie Page, a high school senior who is accomplishing great things! As an eighth grader, Mackenzie had been inspired to support a family friend named Zoe who had been diagnosed with brain cancer. To add an element of fun to her quest to raise funds, she started the Great Pumpkin Challenge. This year marks the 5th Annual event where Mackenzie challenges residents to carve a pumpkin, drop it off at her home to display on Halloween along with a donation to benefit Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. To date, she has raised over $35,000!
This year, thanks to the generosity of our team members, I am proud that there will be a jack-o’-lantern in Mackenzie’s impressive display with the Edible Arrangements logo.
Mackenzie is living proof that each of us can make a difference in our community and beyond.
Thank you, Mackenzie, for giving us the opportunity to show that Edible Cares™.
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