goodstuffhappenedtoday:

Panera Cares Lets Customers Set The Price

Panera Bread, the nationwide restaurant chain, has opened a new “pay-what-you-can” cafe in downtown Boston, called Panera Cares.

The concept is simple: diners pay what they can afford. So if a meal normally costs $5.00, the customer can pay that price, a little more, or a little less.

Store ambassadors greet customers when they come in to explain how things work, but it can be a little confusing.

“I don’t even know what’s going on. I’m just hungry,” a befuddled customer named Javier said.

Here’s how it works: customers order their food, just like at a regular Panera, but then the cashier tells them the suggested price. Customers can decide how much to pay, and either put their money in a donation box, or tell the cashier how much to charge their credit card.

The Panera Bread Foundation has four other Panera Cares locations in St. Louis, Detroit, Portland, Oregon and Chicago, and the founder Ron Shaich says the system works because the people who can afford to pay more, often do.

“All they have is a responsibility to do the right thing. And you know what’s amazing? So many people do,” Shaich said.

The breakdown of what people pay is about 60-20-20: 60 percent of people pay the suggested price, 20 percent pay less, 20 percent pay more.

Since opening in January, the Panera Cares in Boston has been taking in slightly more than that national average.

Food Insecurity

Panera officials say the chain already donates about $100 million in food and cash a year. But Shaich wanted to become more involved in the issue of food insecurity – the 50 million Americans and one in four children who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

“This isn’t an issue of simply of homelessness,” Shaich said. “Twenty-five percent of people with food insecurity actually own their own homes, 24 percent are college grads. It’s endemic when you have a country that is 8 to 9 percent unemployment.”

It’s a job requirement that all of the employees at the Boston Panera Cares location understand the issue.

“We’ve all experienced food insecurity one way or another, either personally or we know someone is experiencing it,” said cashier Yetunde Bankole.

Panera Cares workers are also trained to deal with a population that is in need.

sareypheap:

Take me back to place that opened my eyes, expanded my mind, and set me free.

Everything about that trip seemed so unreal. It was like reality threw me off a cliff. I could not believe the conditions everyone there has to live in. I was no longer allowed to carry my own money because I would have given it all out to strangers on the streets or to all of the kids I worked/lived with. I know I didn’t have much growing up and I still don’t have much now, even if it looks like I have “everything.” Yes, I was handed a lot of things from my parents and my family, and I admit that. But my parents have told me the only reason why I have so much freedom to do what I want and get what I want is because they never had anything. They started an entire new life on foreign land with absolutely nothing. And they never had a childhood or got to experience their teenage years and they just want my brothers and me to live and experience as much as we can while we can. They want us to go out and make our own mistakes, but they also want us to live in comfort. The amount of knowledge they can pass down to us is very limited because of the conditions they grew up in. But the conditions that I witnessed overseas in Cambodia made me want to come home, gather all of my belongings, and bring it all back to those who would appreciate it all more than me. The kids I lived with were just the purest bundles of joy. They walked around with ripped shoes to no shoes, rode on bikes (if they were lucky enough to have one, if not, they walked..) miles before sunrise just to get to school, played with marbles in the dirt, played soccer with a completely flat rubber ball, and had never seen or used a laptop or smartphone or camera, but they were still able to smile and laugh as if they owned everything in the world. <3 

My students ranged from four years old to sixteen years old. I enjoyed working with every single class, but I must say, my grade nine class was the class that made the most impact on me. I learned so much from them, probably more than I taught them in return.

Everyone was so dedicated. The little ones were a joy to work with. They picked up everything so fast, a lot faster than the older students. Probably because they were more open and enthusiastic, not as shy. They repeated every word I said and memorized everything within the end of class time. There was one day I visited the little ones. They didn’t have school that day, they were there to clean and plant flowers, basically a day of work. I was speaking to one of the teachers and an administrator and there were a bunch of students roaming around the classroom. The teacher grabs a yard stick and yells, without even turning to look at them, “Don’t you see adults talking over here? Do you want me to rip your mouths open?” (in Khmer so it sounds even worse). My heart dropped to the floor and they could all definitely tell I was distraught by my reaction. I was speechless. The teacher explained to me that some students need that kind of discipline or else they will never learn. I did not know what to do. I just hoped and wished that I wouldn’t have to witness anything horrible happen to those kids. They were all so sweet and so willing to learn. I could not imagine them being beaten by that stick. It sickened me.

My grade seven class was a little tough to handle. They were a rowdy bunch - very competitive. There were those who knew every answer and then those who needed a little more guidance but wasn’t getting any help or attention. It was very interesting working side by side with another teacher at that point. I didn’t teach this class. I observed and guided the teacher through her lesson, then ended up grading their assignments per their request, haha. It was hard for the teacher because she was teaching a grade seven English course, but she is really only certified in Khmer literature. She told me they don’t have funds for enough teachers, so the teachers that they do have pick up courses that need to be taught, even though they might not have strong knowledge in those areas. They teach straight from the books, which I looked over, and are limited and not up-to-date whatsoever. With my next trip, I’m going to definitely bring back books and supplies for this school. I cannot stand seeing these students with so much potential being taught and give less than they deserve.

My grade nine class took awhile for me to break through. They were so shy they didn’t even dare look at me when they spoke. But I noticed that once the other teacher and the administrators stopped coming to watch the class while I taught, they were at ease. They asked a million questions and were just… so hungry for knowledge. I taught them English, words and phrases that they wanted to learn. And you would expect a class like that to want to learn slang or just basic words, but they were asking me for translations of professional terms that I had to look up in order to translate.

There was one point where I talked to them about their futures. I asked them what they all wanted to be when they grew up. It ranged from doctors and nurses to police officers and school teachers. But the thing that struck me most is when a student explained that they know it’s nothing but hopes and dreams. They know that this is the end of their education and that they can only be farmers, country people. Some of them have never even seen a glimpse of the city and they only live two hours out. None of them have ever even seen or used a laptop or computer or any sort of technology in that matter. They have all convinced themselves that there is no way out for them. They were stuck being farmers for the rest of their lives. But I saw it in their eyes, how much they want to get out of there. How badly they want to become the things they dream of becoming. I constantly reminded them that I was not there to stand above them, but I was there to help guide them. I told them I’d be back. I’d be back to check on them and make sure that they’re still on the right track to becoming everything they want to be. I told them I expected to see them working as hard as ever to become a doctor or a nurse or a teacher. After constant nagging, they started to think differently and work harder, asking more and more questions. They’re determined, I know they are. And I know they all have the potential to be more than they think they can be. I will go back to see them, as promised.

I organized this whole trip on my own not knowing a single thing about what I was getting myself into. But I’m glad I did it. It was the largest, most impacting journey I have ever taken in my life. I grew in so many ways and learned so much about myself that I would not have learned otherwise.

I’ve become more self-aware, culturally aware, and more aware of what it is I would like to spend the rest of my life doing. I was so lost before this trip. I had no idea where I was going with my life. But I’ve found my place in this world and when I’m done with school, it will be, “Good-bye, America.” Hopefully.. Peace Corps will probably be my way out of this place.

<3

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These flexible paper heads will haunt your dreams.

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the-missing-dog:

hahahahaha

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