Local Restaurant Fights Hunger With Food Donations

HUMBLE, TX -- An Humble area restaurant is taking a bite out of hunger.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen has kicked off a donation program to fight hunger in the local community by joining forces with Portfolio Services.

The restaurant in Humble now donates wholesome, surplus food to the nonprofit on a weekly basis as part of its new Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Harvest program.

“Hunger is a community issue, and at Cheddar’s, we’re in a strong position to make an impact in our local community,” Kevin Knupfer, Managing Partner of the location in Humble. “Our scratch cooking philosophy means that we always have fresh ingredients on-hand, and can donate excess, when available. Our team takes tremendous pride in helping our neighbors in need through our partnership with Portfolio Services.”

Each week, the restaurant donates wholesome, surplus food directly from its in-house scratch kitchen. Donated items are a combination of fresh ingredients, such as vegetables and proteins, and hand-crafted dishes, such as soups, sauces, casseroles and pasta.

“Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen provides valuable resources to help fulfill our mission and it is greatly appreciated,” said Cindy Fox, representative for Portfolio Services. “Many of the residents are children and we certainly improve the quality of life for them. Working together, we make a valuable contribution to this community.”

The Mission of Portfolio Resident Services is to improve the quality of life for low income individuals, families and Senior Citizens. The program provides a means to self-sufficiency for low and moderate income individuals and families, and a means to maintain independence for seniors.

All of Darden Restaurants’ 1,700 restaurants nationwide participate in the Harvest food donation program. Together, the family of brands have donated more than 100 million pounds of food – or 83.3 million meals – to nonprofits nationwide. As of this spring, the program has been implemented in all 158 Cheddar’s kitchens nationwide.

But the support goes beyond food donations. Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, is donating $157,000 on behalf of Cheddar’s restaurants nationwide. The money will benefit 83 food banks.

At Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, guests enjoy made-from-scratch meals at affordable prices. The restaurant has been serving iconic menu items since 1979 and currently more than 150 restaurants in 28 states. Nationwide, Cheddar’s employs more than 23,000 friendly and passionate team members. For more information, visit www.Cheddars.com.

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