Panera Bread of Westbrook has presented a check for $4,000 to the city’s Mission Possible Teen Center. The money will be used used to further the teen center’s mission of providing a safe support system, fostering positive development

and healthy decisions.

The Westbrook cafa originally collected $2,000 from customers through the in-store canisters. Panera Bread matched its customers’ donations, dollar for dollar.

For the past 12 years, Panera has helped dozens of charitable

organizations through Operation Dough-Nation, a program that ensures that every purchase at Panera Bread feeds back into the community.

“We are proud to share our ‘Panera warmth’ with members of the Westbrook community throughout the year,” said Mitchell Roberts, franchise owner of the Westbrook store.

Mission Possible Teen Center provides a safe, structured

place for at-risk youth to develop resiliency, and creates opportunities for teens to have positive, life-learning experiences. Mission Possible offers a structured, supervised curriculum during the most critical time of their day, the hours of 3-7p.m. After-school programs are documented

to be an effective strategy in deterring destructive juvenile behavior.

Mission Possible Teen Center offers services such as on-site access to a substance-abuse counselor and family therapist, a mentor program, service-learning opportunities, educational support and workshops and classes.

“We are incredibly grateful to Panera,” said Evelyn Blanchard,

executive director. “As a small social-service agency, donations are important to our survival. This contribution

will allow us to continue our work with the youth in this community.”

Through Operation Dough-Nation and thanks to the generosity of its customers, Panera Bread was able to donate more than $1 million to numerous charities last year.

Roberts and David Peterman are partners in PR Restaurants, LLC, which operates 23 franchise Panera Bread locations in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

For more information on Mission Possible Teen Center, call Evelyn Blanchard at 854-2800. For more information on Panera Bread or PR Restaurants, contact Karen Pevenstein of ECG at 781-449-3244, or visit www.panerabread.com.

Teen center gets hefty Panera Bread ‘dough’