People can let their appetites do their giving while supporting the Betty Griffin Center by dining at any of the seven Columbia Restaurant locations in Florida during the entire month of September for lunch or dinner during the 23rd Annual Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest program.
“We’re very pleased that Columbia Restaurant has once again selected Betty Griffin Center as a beneficiary of this fun, annual event that translates into support for us and many other nonprofit organizations throughout the state,” said Betty Griffin Center CEO Joyce Mahr. “With the loss of many of our event-driven fundraising events so far this year, we’re grateful for additional donations the center receives through promotions like these.”
Through the Community Harvest, the Columbia Restaurant donates 5 percent of all guests’ September lunch and dinner checks to the charitable organizations chosen by their customers.
The Community Harvest takes place in all of the Columbia Restaurant locations, including the St. Augustine restaurant at 98 St. George St., and restaurants in Ybor City in the historic district of Tampa, St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida’s Town of Celebration, the Columbia Cafe on the Riverwalk in Downtown Tampa at the Tampa Bay History Center and the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport. All locations are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, go to ColumbiaRestaurant.com.
“We started this program as a way to help many of the worthy nonprofit groups that are so important to our communities,” said President Richard Gonzmart. “With the devastating effect of the coronavirus on the economy and overall decline in charitable donations, it’s even more important this year.”
Gonzmart said the process is simple: Choose a charity from a ballot that’s provided with the check. The restaurant calculates the 5 percent and provides the charity with gift certificates that can be used for up to 12 months. There’s no additional cost to the guest.
Celebrating its 115th anniversary, the original Columbia Restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez Sr. It is Florida’s oldest restaurant.
The Betty Griffin Center was founded in 1990 by concerned citizens and incorporated as the safety shelter of St. Johns County to develop plans to provide shelter for local victims of domestic violence and their children. Today, Betty Griffin Center shelters more than 480 victims of domestic and sexual abuse annually, operates a 24-hour help line, provides professional counseling for victims of domestic and sexual abuse, provides age-appropriate violence prevention training and operates two thrift stores.
