Red Lobster 2005 Annual Report Download - page 11

More than a Safe Haven
Founded in 1980 by five survivors of domestic violence, the
Jenesse Center in South Central Los Angeles serves mostly
African-American and Latina women who are trapped in
violent relationships. Much more than just a safe haven, the
center offers a comprehensive program that includes coun-
seling, health services, vocational and life-skills education,
parenting classes, child enrichment programs and legal
services. A Darden Restaurants Foundation grant is helping
women in the program learn the skills they need to get and
keep a job, an important step on the road to self-sufficiency.
“Darden’s generosity is affording us the opportunity to pro-
vide a full-time employment counselor to our clients and
give them the full array of employment preparedness,” says
Adrienne Lamar, the center’s associate director.
A Class Act
Recognizing that too few Latino high school graduates were going on
to college for financial reasons and, of those who did, too many were
dropping out, a group of concerned community leaders in Northern
California established the Hispanic Scholarship Fund in 1975. Since
then, the Fund has awarded more than $170 million in scholarships
to more than 73,000 students throughout America. The program
also offers mentoring and other support to recipients, with a goal
of doubling the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees – in fact,
more than 90 percent of recipients earn their four-year degree.
A Darden Restaurants Foundation matching grant challenge in
Dallas, TX, and Orlando, FL, is helping expand the funds available
for those communities. “Darden is just an extraordinary commu-
nity partner in the way they not only give, but do it in a way that
stimulates the organizations to expand what they do,” says Lizette
Valarino, president of the Hispanic Heritage Fund.
To achieve our goal of building a great Company that will last for
generations, at Darden Restaurants we believe it is critical that we
help improve the quality of life in the communities where we do
business through direct involvement and philanthropic support.
For more than a decade, the Darden Restaurants Foundation,
Darden Environmental Trust, our restaurants and thousands of
employee volunteers have contributed thousands of volunteer hours
and millions of dollars to communities across North America. On
these pages are just a few recent examples of these efforts. For
more information, request a copy of the 2005 Darden Restaurants
Foundation Annual Report (see page 61 of this report) or visit our
Web site at www.darden.com/com_overview_foundation.asp.
Corporate
Responsibility
Lessons of Tolerance from Anne Frank
The story of Anne Frank’s family and her tragic death in a Nazi
concentration camp teaches us about the horrific consequences
of intolerance and racism. That was the mission of the Anne
Frank Project: Lessons in Tolerance and Understanding, which
was partially funded by Darden Restaurants Foundation grants.
A joint effort of the Orlando Repertory Theatre in Orlando, FL,
and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in
Maitland, FL, this unique program included stage performances
of a newly adapted version of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” children’s
workshops, an exhibit of Frank family photos at the Holocaust
Center, learning activities for local schools and community dis-
cussion groups. The program fulfilled two of the Foundation’s
goals: enhancing the visual and performing arts for children and
families and fostering diversity, fairness and tolerance.
Preserving the Oceans’ “Rain Forests”
Often called the “rain forests of the sea,” coral reefs provide
sustenance for more than 25 percent of the earth’s known marine
species. They are home to thousands of fish and other sea animals
and plants, and are a source of new medicines for a variety of dis-
eases. But, these delicate ecosystems are in a state of decline
throughout the world, due to overfishing, pollution and global
warming. Funded in part by the Darden Environmental Trust, a
joint project of The Nature Conservancy, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and Florida Department of Natural
Resources is trying to reverse that trend by identifying “resilient
corals” and learning what makes them heartier than others. With
that knowledge, scientists hope to develop strategies to protect
reefs. “Darden takes a long-range view and understands the need
to invest in innovative environmental research projects such as
this one,” says Hans Kairies, associate director of Philanthropy
for the Florida chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Waste Not, Want Not
Through Darden’s Harvest Food Donation Program, all of our
restaurants across the United States now have a way to donate
food they can’t use anymore to food banks and other charitable
organizations. These are items like mistakenly cooked meals and
abandoned take-out orders that can’t be served but are still
delicious, nutritious and very appreciated by the organizations
that receive them. “Many of these foods would be unavailable to
the Soup Kettle Program without your gift,” says Marlene Daubert
of Zion Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL. “Your gift has meant not
only the benefits of nutrition but also a real sense of quality.”
Since the program was first piloted in 2003, more than 1.5 mil-
lion pounds of food have been donated to 465 charities around
the country… and we’re just getting started!
18 Darden Restaurants