Warren's Covelli Enterprises spearheading effort to feed children during virus outbreak
WARREN, Ohio - A Warren-based restaurant chain plans to take part in an effort to feed needy children in Ohio.
Panera and Covelli Enterprises announced on Friday a partnership with the Children’s Hunger Alliance and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide freshly prepared meals to children in need in the state of Ohio.
The announcement came during a press briefing in the White House with the President of the United States and Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera.
Covelli’s Panera restaurants will be assisting the Children’s Hunger Alliance to feed the hundreds of thousands of children who are typically provided meals at Ohio schools, afterschool, and childcare centers. Panera is also working with the USDA to scale this model with other states across the nation.
“At the onset of this terrible pandemic, our company immediately realized that it had a duty to help in any way that we could,” said Sam Covelli, President, and CEO of Covelli Enterprises. “I reached out to the Governor to see what immediate needs that the State had.”
The Panera-provided meals include a menu of five different choices from salad to sandwiches and veggie snack boxes, including a whole grain bread. The meals are balanced per USDA guidance to include dairy, lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, according to a media release from Covelli. The meals are being offered at an extreme discount to align with current USDA school food prices.
The Panera and CHA meal partnership will kick off in Ohio on April 6th.
Covelli Enterprises operates 315 Panera Bread bakery-cafés in eight states. Headquartered in Warren, Ohio, Covelli Enterprises is the single largest franchisee of Panera Bread, LLC.
