Café Chain Hosting Toy Drive with Salvation Army in Evansville

A large café chain with locations in Evansville has once again partnered with the Salvation Army to spread joy this Christmas season.

While the holidays are meant to be a joyous occasion, they can cause undue stress for those experiencing financial hardships. Luckily, the Salvation Army is there to make sure every child gets a gift this Christmas. In addition to their annual Angel Tree program, the organization hosts several toy drives all over the country in the weeks leading up to the big day. In fact, the organization has once again partnered with a popular bakery-café chain for just that.

Panera Bread Partners with the Salvation Army for Toy Drive

According to a press release from the Salvation Army, a three-week toy drive is underway at 42 Indiana Panera Bread restaurants, marking a considerable expansion from last year. For those unfamiliar, Panera Bread began as St. Louis Bread Company in 1987 and is now operating in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada. This toy drive is just one of many ways the company gives back to communities.

"We're so grateful to Panera Bread for growing this program in 2024," said Major Marc Johnson, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army Indiana Division. "With thousands of Hoosier families in need of help this Christmas, a toy drive like this can make a huge impact on our ability to meet the need in each community where we serve. This is a season of joy, and each year The Salvation Army strives to bring that joy to as many of our neighbors in need as we can."

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Evansville Panera Bread Locations Need Toys

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This year, the collection will benefit Salvation Army Christmas assistance programs in counties across the state of Indiana, including Vanderburgh County. Collection boxes will be available from November 13 until December 6 at each participating Panera Bread location. New, unwrapped toys for infants through teens can be dropped off during each location's regular business hours. The two participating Panera Bread locations in Evansville can be found below:

15 Crazy Holiday-Inspired Names That Have Been Given to Babies

A website called Find My Past went through 14 billion historical documents from the past 500 years and looked for people with festive, HOLIDAY-themed names. These names are different and awesome, and some of them, are a little crazy.

Find out the names and how many people were named these holiday-inspired names in the last 500 years.

Gallery Credit: Leslie Morgan

Indiana Goodwill Stores Will Not Accept These 24 Items

So much of what we accumulate, we don't really use. Some of the stuff that is cluttering up our closets, basements, spare bedrooms, and garages is in good condition and can easily be used by someone else.

Other items that have simply worn out or broken need to be cleaned out or replaced, too. But, Goodwill is not the place for those items.

Here is what Goodwill says about items that they can't and won't take.

Gallery Credit: Leslie Morgan