Red Lobster 2004 Annual Report Download - page 19

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The program’s growth created the need for a
larger facility with a commercial kitchen, and
a Darden Restaurants Foundation grant helped
pay for the new kitchen’s equipment. In part-
nership with the Kid’s Cafe Program of America’s
Second Harvest food banks, H.O.P.E Farm
feeds the children a hot meal every day after
school, and in the summer provides breakfast,
lunch, and a snack.
“What we do at H.O.P.E. Farm is address the
spirit, mind, and body of these children. Darden
has helped us address a major component of
that,” Randle says.
ENRICHING฀THE฀COMMUNITY฀
THROUGH฀ART฀&฀CULTURE
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Since 1985, the Enzian Theater in Maitland,
Florida, has aspired to entertain, inspire, edu-
cate, and connect the community through film.
Enzian is the oldest full-time, not-for-profit
cinema in Florida, and also sponsors the Florida
Film Festival, recently recognized as one of
the world’s top 10 film festivals.
The theater also hosts various multi-cultural
film festivals, which celebrate Florida’s finest
independent film and video makers and provide
a view of diverse cultures, while illuminating
the commonalities we all share.
Since its inception, Enzian has screened more
than 3,375 films to more than one million
people, which puts plenty of wear and tear on
its facilities. “We desperately needed to refur-
bish it and replace the tables and chairs,” says
Theater President Sigrid Tiedtke. “A Darden
Restaurants Foundation grant helped us fur-
nish a good part of the redo of our theatre,
and we’re thrilled about that.”
The Darden Restaurants Foundation grant
also helped fund “Popcorn Flicks,” an outdoor
cinema series offering family-friendly classic
films at a park in the heart of the city’s down-
town. “There’s just a wonderful community
aspect to this series,” Tiedtke says. “People of
all ages and socio-economic groups bring
their blankets, have picnics and visit with
each other. It really is just a lovely time with
family and friends.
“We aspire to bring great stories to the com-
munity, stories that make our lives more
meaningful,” Tiedtke says. “We see ourselves
as a window to a world of expanded respect,
wisdom, and creativity.”
EDUCATING฀FUTURE฀LEADERS
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Through Showcase of the Stars, minority
and economically disadvantaged high school
students learn about careers in the restaurant
industry from top restaurant and foodservice
industry professionals who are also minorities.
The traveling event was created by the non-
profit trade group, Multicultural Foodservice
& Hospitality Alliance, to promote the many
career opportunities available in the restau-
rant, foodservice, and lodging industries.
That mission dovetails perfectly with the
goals of the Darden Restaurants Foundation
and the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA)
Educational Foundation, which focuses on
building Illinois’ hospitality workforce through
career exploration programs, scholarships,
and other programs. The Darden Restaurants
Foundation funded a grant to enable the IRA
Educational Foundation to bring the Showcase
of the Stars to Illinois students.
Many minority youths are unaware of the
diverse career options the restaurant and
foodservice industry offers. The Showcase of
the Stars hopes to change that. “Many of the
students we talk to don’t really know much
about the multitude of opportunities in this
industry,” says IRA President Colleen McShane.
“Most know about being chefs, but many are
surprised to learn there are management
opportunities, as well as jobs in software design,
facilities management, finance, accounting,
and other restaurant-related support jobs.”
The event has attracted hundreds of young
people to the industry. “Showcase of the Stars
gives students a wonderful chance to experi-
ence a world of opportunities in this industry,”
says McShane.
SUSTAINING฀OUR฀NATURAL฀
RESOURCES
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In many communities throughout the world,
people depend on lobster for their livelihood.
Not only is it a source of food, but it also
provides jobs and income. The world’s desire
for this delectable crustacean, though, has put
enormous pressure on the population of the
spiny lobster, one of the most valuable fishery
species in the Caribbean.
Unlike shrimp, many types of fish, and even
scallops, scientists have never been able to
“farm” lobsters from egg to adult using aqua-
culture. But, Dr. Craig Dahlgren, Senior
Research Scientist at the Perry Institute for
Marine Science/Caribbean Marine Research
Center, says a grant from the Darden
Restaurants Foundation is helping the Institute
make progress in this area. “We’re focusing
our research on the Bahamas and Belize
Darden Restaurants
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