Turn your check into charity for the next year at Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille
A new campaign at Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille will turn your restaurant check into an act of kindness.
For the next 12 months, the restaurant at 101 Rivertfront Blvd., in Bradenton will encourage customers to round their bill up to the nearest dollar, with the proceeds going toward a different nonprofit charity each month. The first organization to benefit is Bradenton’s PACE Center for Girls.
Liz Fridenberg, who has been general manager of the restaurant since it opened in 2016, came up with the idea. It’s an effort to form a tighter bond with the community, while lending a hand to several local organizations.
“Chef Paul Mattison is very much community-minded. I wanted to participate in that and not just be a restaurant,” Fridenberg said. “Giving back is a way to be a part of our wonderful community.”
“We’re a restaurant, but I want us to be so much more,” she added.
The campaign is being advertised throughout the restaurant, according to Caryn Hodge, marketing director for Mattison’s Restaurants and Catering. Within just a few hours of collecting the donations, Fridenberg said the results had been fairly positive.
This month, the money is going directly to the students at PACE, according to Christi Haley, the center’s special programs manager. It will help fund some of their favorite activities, like field trips and special events.
“As the first charity to be part of the program, we’re excited to see them giving back. A lot of people don’t know about who we are or what we do, and everyone who comes in this month will learn about us,” said Haley.
The PACE Center for Girls helps young women get back on track through counseling, friendships, group activities and more. For more information, visit www.PaceCenter.org.
The charities will rotate over the course of the year, sending money to organizations that assist veterans, animals, children and more.
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 4:14 PM.
