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Students nationwide participate in Olive Garden’s 13th annual Pasta for Pennies

ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters clinked and clanked in jars across the country this year as more than two million elementary, middle and high school students emptied their piggy banks and pockets to collect a record $5.2 million for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society during Olive Garden’s 13th annual Pasta for Pennies program. This year’s landmark effort brings the total raised for the Society through Pasta for Pennies to more than $36 million since the program’s inception in 1994.

Every year, students collect spare change for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society dropping coins in a collection jar in their classroom during a three-week period for Olive Garden’s Pasta for Pennies. The class collecting the most funds in each school receives a pasta party delivered to their classroom and served by their local Olive Garden. The money raised through student contributions supports much needed research initiatives and patient and family services.

“These students continue to have a profound impact on their community with their commitment and dedication to Pasta for Pennies. We celebrate this great achievement of raising $5.2 million with them,” said Dave Pickens, president of Olive Garden. “Their passion for this program is truly inspiring.”

Leading the nation as the top Pasta for Pennies fundraising school was Orange High School in Orange, Calif. collecting $39,498.25. Other top fundraising schools include:

• Princeton High School in Cincinnati which raised $39,092;
• Downey High School in Downey, Calif. which raised $33,375.77; and
• Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga. which raised $22,000.

The top fundraising Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Chapter in the country was the Greater Los Angeles Chapter, where 131 schools raised $413,589.85.

“Olive Garden’s Pasta for Pennies rallies students across the country to join us in our commitment to fight blood cancers and provide assistance to our patients and their families,” said Dwayne Howell, the Society’s president and CEO. “The $5.2 million raised by these dedicated students will help us to continue to make advances in the search for cures and to provide information and support to patients and their families so they have the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience.We really appreciate all of the support Olive Garden and these students have given us over the years.”

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has invested more than $550 million for research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made 4.2 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals through services provided at its home office and by its 68 chapters in the United States and Canada. For more information about the Society, visit www.LLS.org.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with 614 restaurants, 77,000 employees and $2.8 billion in annual sales. Olive Garden is a division of Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI), the world’s largest casual dining company in sales and market share.

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