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For More Information Contact:
Erica Auciello Murphy
High Point Communications Group
(603) 226-3000
eamurphy@highpointcommunications.com
Common Man Restaurants Donate $54,000 To Charities Assisting With Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding Efforts
The American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity Each Receive $27,000 from "Common Effort" Relief Fund
CONCORD, NH - Three months to the date that Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast states, Common Man owner Alex Ray and his staff have donated $54,000 to two charities that continue to provide much-needed assistance in the most devastated areas.
Ray presented two checks for $27,000 each to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity from the “Common Effort” relief fund started by the Common Man restaurants right after the storm hit.
“It’s been three months and people are still fighting an uphill battle in the Gulf area,” said Ray. “The American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity are two organizations that have proven track records of helping people, and are working hard to rebuild housing and keep volunteers in the area to offer assistance.”
Ray said the “Common Effort” funds were raised by his managers and staff who ran two back-to-back charity dinners, a golf tournament, earmarked a percentage of all sales at the Common Man Company Store in Ashland and held a community charity breakfast at the Common Man in Windham to raise a total of $108,000 for hurricane relief.
The relief efforts were all undertaken by the Common Man staff while Ray was out of the state, volunteering in the hurricane-ravaged areas. Just days after Hurricane Katrina hit, Ray packed up the company van with medical supplies, cooking equipment and clothes, and drove to help residents dealing with the aftermath of the storm.
During the donation ceremony, Ray showed moving home video footage he and friend Cathy Bentwood, a registered nurse from Plymouth who accompanied him on his trip, took of the destruction they saw. The footage also captured emotional moments during the pair’s efforts to save abandoned pets in New Orleans, and their work as kitchen manager and nurse at the Baton Rouge River Center, which at times sheltered up to 5,000 evacuees.
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(left to right) Alex Ray, Owner of Common Man Restaurants, Karyn Madore, Board Chair, American Red Cross, Shelley Proulx, Development and Marketing Director, Jason Lyon, CEO Common Man Restaurants |
As for the remaining money still left in the “Common Effort” relief fund, Ray said he is still investigating where it is needed most, and hopes to identify more organizations and individuals in the Gulf Coast area who would benefit from a direct donation. Ray said he has also made smaller donations to New Hampshire residents who have traveled to the Gulf Coast to assist with rebuilding efforts.
“There’s a longer road ahead and we’re being cautious. I’m looking to help with the individual needs of people who were lost in the chaos, or businesses who haven’t been able to find the resources to help them get back on their feet.”
The first Common Man restaurant opened in Ashland in 1971. Over the past 34 years, the family has grown to include The Common Man Inn and Spa in Plymouth, where Foster’s Steakhouse is also located; The Italian Farmhouse in Plymouth; The Common Man restaurants in Ashland, Lincoln, Concord, Windham and Merrimack; Tilt’n Diner in Tilton; and Lago, Camp, Town Docks and The Lakehouse Grille in Church Landing at Mill Falls in Meredith. Construction is also underway on Airport Diner in Manchester. For more information, visit www.thecman.com.
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