(Tuesday, August 30, 2005) - The Straw Hat Pizza Cooperative announced today that it is supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Annual Labor Day Telethon by providing meals for its volunteers at its San Francisco Bay Area broadcast affiliate, KTVU, Fox Channel 2, in Oakland, CA.
Straw Hat spokesperson, Kevyn Johnston, said Straw Hat Pizza is delighted to support the MDA, an organization dedicated to fighting neuromuscular diseases, by supplying pizza during its annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. The 2005 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is the 40th annual show in the Labor Day weekend series. It will be broadcast on some 200 "Love Network" stations across the country, including local affiliate KTVU. Straw Hat will supply its hallmark California Crust Pizza to the expected 100 volunteers at the television studios during the Labor Day Broadcast on Monday, September 5th.
Straw Hat's Castro Valley, CA location, nearest the television studios, will be delivering enough pizza to provide for all local volunteers starting early on Labor Day. "We're getting up early to make a lot of great pizza for those folks," said Randy Khangura, owner of the Castro Valley Straw Hat, "We're excited to show our support by doing what we do best, and I know the volunteers will appreciate it very much."
Straw Hat Pizza has supported countless community and charitable organizations since it first opened its doors in 1959 and is a leader in the restaurant industry with an innovative catalog of fundraising programs. "It's quite a task to cook and deliver food for so many volunteers," said Johnston, "but when we approached Randy Khangura at our Castro Valley location with the idea, he immediately and enthusiastically agreed. Randy's willingness to provide for the telethon exemplifies Straw Hat's community spirit, something he does so well in Castro Valley."
"America has few traditions as strongly ingrained as the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. Nearly one million volunteers across the country will be involved in the Telethon over this Labor Day weekend and they are expected to raise over 60 million dollars in the fight against terrible diseases" said Jennifer Harr, MDA Program Coordinator, "they all deserve our thanks and support, and we're thrilled that Straw Hat Pizza so quickly stepped up to donate their terrific pizzas for our cause."
[SHCC licenses nearly 50 Straw Hat Pizza locations in California & Nevada. The "Cooperative" is solely directed by its membership and has been called "the un-franchise, franchise." It provides the benefits of a franchise system, however, its individual owners enjoy greater control, and corporate overhead is kept to a minimum, (about 1/3rd of the average franchise fee.) For more information contact Joshua Richman at the Cooperative headquarters.]
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