BIGGBY COFFEE (MID-MICHIGAN AREA) TEAMS WITH LOCAL HOMELESS SHELTER

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BIGGBY COFFEE (MID-MICHIGAN AREA) TEAMS WITH LOCAL HOMELESS SHELTER
Eight-day event will help raise funds, awareness for East Lansing’s Haven House

EAST LANSING, MI, April 27, 2011 – Twenty-three Lansing area BIGGBY COFFEE locations are asking you to “Have a Heart for the Homeless” as they sponsor an eight-day fundraising campaign for East Lansing’s Haven House, the area’s only family-oriented homeless shelter.

Between Saturday, April 30^th and Sunday, May 8^th BIGGBY COFFEE customers can support Haven House by purchasing a paper heart for $1 each. Every dollar raised will help Haven House continue to provide emergency housing and support services for local one and two-parent homeless families with children.

Founded in 1983, Haven House is unlike any other homeless shelter in the area. Described as “more than just a bed,” Haven House helps residents develop self-sufficiency, stability, and financial responsibility through daily meetings and counseling with staff members.

“Our goal is to help families find permanent housing within 30 days,” said Angie Mayeaux, the Executive Director of Haven House.  “By assisting each family in locating necessary resources and by offering different educational programs and activities, we helped 150 homeless families, consisting of more than 300 children, find housing last year.”

Each of the BIGGBY COFFEE locations will have donation jars available for the eight-day period and each paper heart purchased will be posted on the walls at each store.

Spokeswomen for the Lansing BIGGBY COFFEE stores, Lori DeYoung, said giving back to the community and helping to organizing this fundraiser was a no-brainer.

“This community means so much to us and has supported us from day one,” DeYoung said. “We wanted to give back locally and make the greatest possible impact not only through raising money but through raising awareness for Haven House as well.

This fundraiser could not come at a better time, Mayeaux noted as the summer months are when Haven House is hit the hardest by those seeking their services. “We are so thankful to BIGGBY COFFEE for their support,” Mayeaux said. “When two local businesses can work together like this everyone wins.”

About BIGGBY COFFEE®

East Lansing, Mich.-based BIGGBY® COFFEE opened a single store in March of 1995 based on the founding principle that coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike would benefit from a less pretentious approach to the standard gourmet café paradigm. BIGGBY COFFEE introduced connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, and barista staff surprised guests with simple gestures like free kazoos and bouncy balls for no other reason than to brighten their day. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY COFFEE has 130 cafes open or under contract across six states including: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas.  For more information, visit www.biggby.com.