$10,000 for Humane Society

SAINT AUGUSTINE  – A top number of donors participated in this year’s St. Augustine Humane Society and Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest giving campaign during the month of September. The Humane Society received a record number of gift certificates totaling more than $10,000 as restaurant customers let their appetite do the giving. During the month, when the local Humane Society was selected as a recipient, the restaurant donated five percent of all guests’ lunch and dinner checks to the charitable organization in the form of gift certificates. The promotion was offered at the St. Augustine location, 98 St. George Street and all Columbia locations in Florida.

According to Carolyn Smith, St. Augustine Humane Society’s Executive Director, the gift certificate program continues to help the non-profit recognize a variety of supporters including the top fundraisers who participate in the recent Pin Up Paws 2019 Calendar Photo Contest at www.pinuppaws.com. The Columbia Restaurant serves as a major sponsor of the calendar effort. “We are very grateful to receive the gift certificates and proud to be included in the restaurant’s charitable giving,” said Smith. “The Columbia and its patrons showed their generosity by helping to prevent the needless relinquishment of pets to shelters through our charity services and low-cost spay neuter programs,” she said.

“We are proud to contribute to the worthy organizations in the communities we serve. Since the program began in 1998, the Columbia has given more than $2.4 million to non-profit organizations throughout Florida,” said Richard Gonzmart, 4th generation family member and president of the Columbia Restaurant. “We are happy to announce that we have reinvested more than $227,000 from this year’s Community Harvest to more than 100 non-profit groups throughout Florida. The basis of the Columbia Community Harvest has been our family’s philosophy of  living each day with passion and purpose by helping others, as we have since the Columbia was founded in 1905.”

For more information, contact Carolyn Smith, St. Augustine Humane Society’s Executive Director at (904) 829-2737. Visit the website at www.staugustinehumanesociety.org.