events

Childhaven and Gretchen’s Shoebox Express to Hold 25th Annual Lunch Event


Photo courtesy to Childhaven

Childhaven, a non-profit provider of therapeutic child care to abused, neglected and at-risk children, is excited to announce its 25th Annual Box Lunch Event for greater Seattle in partnership with Gretchen’s Shoebox Express. Area businesses and organizations from Everett to Tacoma can order delicious, fresh box lunches for delivery on Thursday, May 9 while raising money for the region’s only therapeutic child care program.

The annual Box Lunch Event raises an average of $70,000 annually, and all proceeds from the boxed lunch sales directly support Childhaven’s mission to provide therapy and care to the youngest victims of abuse and neglect in the Greater Seattle community. Gretchen’s Shoebox Express has partnered with Childhaven for the event for the past nine years, continuing a legacy of commitment and support for local nonprofit organizations.

“The Childhaven Box Lunch event has a long history in our community,” said Childhaven President Maria Chavez Wilcox. “Together with Gretchen’s Shoebox Express, we raise awareness about Childhaven’s programs and, in turn, the children we serve become healthy, productive members of the community that has supported them.”

To order lunches:

Lunches are $17 each and include a choice of sandwich, potato chips, apple slices and a Schwartz Brothers Bakery cookie. Childhaven staff members and volunteers will deliver lunches between 9 a.m. and noon on May 9th. To order online, visit www.childhaven.org/boxlunch. Orders must be received by 5 p.m. May 6 and a minimum of six orders are required per delivery.

Catered by Gretchen’s Shoebox Express, a division of Schwartz Brothers Restaurants, the menu includes the choice of Chicken BLT with oven-roasted chicken breast, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on sour dough; Corned Beef with Swiss cheese and green leaf lettuce on marble rye bread and served with 1000 island dressing and horseradish on the side; Farmer’s Market Salad with candied walnuts, Beecher’s Flagship cheese, dried cranberries and diced apples on a bed of mixed greens served with balsamic vinaigrette; Margherita Focaccia with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil with spinach and creamy pesto spread on freshly-baked focaccia; and Turkey and Swiss with fresh lettuce and tomato on honey wheat bread.

The annual Box Lunch Event is sponsored by Express Employment Professionals, Clear Channel, Gretchen’s Shoebox Express and Schwartz Brothers Restaurants. For more information, visit www.childhaven.org/boxlunch or call 206-957-4896.

About Childhaven

Childhaven is a local non-profit organization that provides daily therapeutic child care to abused, neglected and drug/alcohol impacted children ages 1 month through 5 years in the greater King County area. Most of the 400 children in Childhaven’s care are referred by Child Protective/Child Welfare Services, and Public Health nurses. Childhaven provides daily van transportation, health monitoring, two nutritious meals plus a snack each day, developmental assessments and therapies, including speech, occupational therapy, special education, art, play and music therapies. Childhaven operates three child care branches in King County, including the Broadway Center, the Patrick L. Gogerty Branch in Auburn and the Eli Creekmore Memorial Branch in Burien. Family involvement includes parent education and support, applied parenting instruction, and parent-child interaction therapy.

About Gretchen’s Shoebox Express

Gretchen’s Shoebox Express, owned and operated by Schwartz Brothers Restaurants, specializes in the daily delivery of made-from-scratch box lunches and offers an array of fresh platters, salads, sandwiches, wraps and freshly baked pastries. Gretchen’s was founded through a collaboration between Gretchen Mathers, a Seattle-area catering icon and John Schwartz, co-founder of Schwartz Brothers Restaurants. Mathers passed away from breast cancer in August 2007, leaving behind a legacy of commitment and support for local nonprofit organizations. Schwartz Brothers Restaurants and Gretchen’s Shoebox Express have continued Mathers’ legacy by partnering with local nonprofit organizations including Childhaven, with whom Gretchen’s has partnered for the Box Lunch event for eight years. For more information, visitwww.GretchensShoebox.com.

Written by Charles Koh

Founded EatSeattle, and has continued to use his expertise as editor-in-chief to guide the website’s growth over the last five years. Koh’s experience focuses on digital marketing and social media, and has been a part of several companies, some of which he created, specializing in both areas over the course of his career. Koh was previously with Google and Zagat where he helped expand and grow communities worldwide.

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