Community Harvest Program to Benefit Council on Aging in September

Throughout September, members of the public can support Council on Aging’s work just by dining at the Columbia Restaurant in downtown St. Augustine, oratany of the locations of the 1905 Family of Restaurants.  Through their month-long Community Harvest program, now in its 26th year, the company donates 5 percent of all diners’ checks to charities selected by the guests.

Simply dine at the Columbia restaurant, and choose Council on Aging from a ballot provided with the check. The restaurant calculates the 5 percent and provides the charity with gift certificates that may be used at any of their associated restaurants for up to 12 months. There is no additional cost to the guest.

The Columbia Restaurant is located at 98 St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine. To view their menu and for reservations, visit www.columbiarestaurant.com/historic-district-st-augustine.

Over the last 25 years, this program has provided more than $3 million to nonprofit organizations throughout Florida.  Community Harvest involves each of the Columbia locations, including Ybor City in the historic district of Tampa, St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida’s town of Celebration, the Columbia Cafe on the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa at the Tampa Bay History Center and the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport.

“We started this program as a way to help many of the worthy nonprofit groups that are so important to our communities,” said 4th generation family member and president Richard Gonzmart. “I can’t believe how much it has grown in 25 years. We’re excited this year to extend the ballots and gift certificates to all our restaurant concepts, which should provide a real increase in our donations to the charities.”

The original Columbia Restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Historic Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr., and is Florida’s oldest restaurant. All the restaurants are owned and operated by 4th and 5th generation members of the founding family, except for the Columbia Restaurant Cafe at Tampa International Airport, which is operated in partnership with HMSHost.