Publix donates over $31,000 to charity

Eight divisions of Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) received more than $31,000 collectively from customers of Publix Super Markets through the company's statewide Santa dollars holiday fundraising campaign.

From Nov. 10 - Dec. 27 last year, Publix gave customers the option of purchasing Santa dollars for $2.50 with $1 directly going to charity. A Santa dollar consists of an actual dollar bill with a sticker of jolly ol' St. Nick over the photo of George Washington. The dollar remains legal tender to then be distributed with holiday cheer.

Greenbriar Children's Center, Safe Harbor Boys Home and Boys Home Association also received more than $2,000 each from the campaign.

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 145,000 employees, with 2007 sales of $23 billion. Currently Publix has 928 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The company has been named one of FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for 11 consecutive years. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized as tops in the grocery business, most recently by an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. For more information, visit the company's Web site, www.publix.com.

Created in 1902, Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) is the oldest and largest statewide private not-for-profit provider of services to children and families in Florida through a full spectrum of prevention and intervention programs. Services include foster care, adoption, child development, emergency shelters, residential group homes, independent and transitional living for teens, parent education, counseling, mentoring, treatment for developmentally disabled children, and more. CHS, which served more than 90,000 children and families throughout the state in 2006-2007, currently manages the cases of nearly one-third of all children in Florida's foster care system. CHS is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and offers services in more than 100 locations by more than 1,900 staff members dedicated to providing child-focused, familycentered care. For more information, visit www.chsfl.org.