Share the Dough

Share the Dough is a nonprofit organization that serves others and honors Christ by seeking to show His unconditional love by providing protection and care to vulnerable children and their families in our communities, in Panera employee families, and around the world.

Share the Dough seeks to transform our local communities through generosity, compassion, and benevolence, and to bear witness to Christ’s love in the process. Our faith motivates us to provide resources, financial assistance, and educational opportunities to community organizations and our employees. We are called to protect and provide for the most vulnerable individuals and, therefore, focus our efforts on children and families in need, and their communities.

We aim to see sustainable employment in Orange County and all the regions we have Panera cafes! Share the Dough has several programs aimed at providing support and care to empower individuals and families remained employed with Manna Development Group at our Panera cafes.
In Reach Programs:
Employee Emergency Assistance Program: We support Manna employees during times of emergency and crisis.

Educational Scholarship Program: Share the Dough provides educational support for Manna employees and dependents.

New Baby Bundles: Bundles for new and expecting parents with diapers, wipes, clothes, toys and a gift card.

Community Support
We support organizations that serve underprivileged children and their families by providing many services including, but not limited to:
• Support for victims of abuse and violence
• Necessities for children affected by war, natural disaster, famine, poverty, and disease
• Nutritious meals
• Backpacks filled with school supplies
• Help in times of emergency situations

We also provide Christmas presents for local families who need a little extra help over the holidays

A few of our Panera locations open on Thanksgiving Day to provide meals to those who may need a little extra love and support.

We help coordinate a day-end donation program for Manna’s Panera Bread cafes to donate unused bread and bakery items to various organizations that serve food insecure individuals.

2023 Year end giving consisted of:
$900,000 given through our grant program to nonprofits who support vulnerable children and families
$125,000 in emergency funding for Manna employees and their families
63 educational scholarships for Manna employees and their families
1000 nonprofits are given weekly unused bread donations to combat food insecurity
150 free turkeys to Manna employees for Thanksgiving
165 families in the community blessed with Christmas gifts
800 backpacks full of school supplies given to local children
47 Baby Bundle packages to new or expecting Manna moms
2,130 volunteer hours given

2023 goals:
Increase funding to support our Employee Team Members during times of crisis, emergency, and furthering their education so they can better serve the Orange County community.

Vulnerable people slip through the cracks in our communities every day. Unfortunately, many of these people are children. Share the Dough seeks to provide resources and support to allow for sustained employment so families in Orange County can continue providing for their needs. We also partner with effective and transparent organizations that impact the lives of children and provide opportunity for their families. These grant funds are needed to support our ongoing efforts to care for individuals in times of unexpected emergencies and to provide educational scholarships to those pursuing higher education.

Share the Dough supports nationwide and internationally, but local to all of Orange County inclusively.

Thank you for considering funding Share the Dough! We have been engrained in the Orange County community since 2008. Our hope is to give back to our Panera employees and the communities we serve. Providing care and opportunity through employment and assistance in difficult times allows our employees to be their best selves for their families and to give back to a thriving community. Thank you for partnering with us to see this vision to fruition!

Our vision is to see children and families thriving in Orange County and in all the communities we serve. Manna Development Group owns and operates Panera cafes across the country and do so following the Golden Rule- to treat others the way we would like to be treated. Our heart as a leadership team for the company and for the nonprofit we created is to be servant leaders and to love to people we encounter everyday through the love Christ has shown us. Thank you for joining with us in this shared vision.