The Board of Public Utilities announced the launch of the 24th annual “Cents for St. Susan’s” fundraising campaign Tuesday. The BPU is encouraging the community to donate to the local soup kitchen, which provides meals for hundreds of people in need each day. Pictured are BPU staff members and community sponsors for the annual fundraiser. Submitted photo

The Board of Public Utilities launched its 24th annual Cents for St. Susan’s fundraising campaign Tuesday hoping to raise funding to support St. Susan Center.

The Cents for St. Susan’s fundraising campaign helps provide St. Susan Center, a local soup kitchen located at 31 Water St. with funding for St. Susan Center’s operating costs. Over the past 23 years, the “Cents for St. Susan’s campaign has raised $307,611.54.

“The BPU is proud to be associated with St. Susan Center which helps so many people in the Greater Jamestown Area on a daily basis,” said Dave Leathers, BPU general manager. “At this time, we also recognize the outstanding gifts made by our major sponsors of the drive. The entire community is fortunate that these companies and individuals truly care about providing meals to the guests of St. Susan Center.”

According to a BPU news release, BPU volunteers and major fund drive sponsors recently met at St. Susan Center for the launch of the “Cents for St. Susan’s campaign.

The annual campaign is supported by both generous sponsors and community members who contribute to the campaign to feed those in need in the local community by placing coins, cash and checks into “Cents for St. Susan’s coin canisters located throughout the Jamestown community. Local residents can also donate redeemable bottles and cans at the BPU Customer Service Office, at the Southside Redemption Center and Don’s Car Wash. The money collected through bottle and can redemption will also support the fundraiser for St. Susan Center.

BPU customers who pay service bills through the BPU’s website can contribute online at www.jamestownbpu.com. Monetary gifts can also be mailed to “Cents for St. Susan’s,” c/o Jamestown BPU, P.O. Box 700, Jamestown, NY 14702-0700. All donations collected from the community will go directly to St. Susan Center.

The BPU will also host a hot dog sale located outside of the BPU Customer Service Office June 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The “Cent’s for St. Susan’s” campaign will run until after the July 4. The fundraiser total will be announced at the end of July.

“We are thankful to the BPU and to all the sponsors of the 24th annual ‘Cents for St. Susan’s’ fund drive,” Cherie Rowland, St. Susan Center executive director, said. “Only a few short months ago, we were averaging 120 meals served per day. Today we are averaging 180 meals served each day. We are here for those in our community in need because of the support of our community.”

While Becky Robbins, BPU communications coordinator and organizer of the “Cents for St. Susan’s” fundraiser said the BPU never sets a monetary goal for the campaign, she said the BPU works hard “in many ways” to collect contributions for the soup kitchen each year. With the BPU hosting the fundraiser for St. Susan Center every year since 2000, Robbins expressed the BPU’s appreciation for the support of the community each year to make the fundraising campaign a success. Robbins added that the major sponsors of the annual fundraiser comprise a “significant level” of the total amount collected each year.

This year’s major sponsors of the “Cents for St. Susan’s” campaign include the Chautauqua Chemicals Company, Robinson Law Office, PLLC, Asplundh, Boyles Motor Sales, Judy and Steve McAllaster, Century 21 and Turner Brokers, Falconer Printing & Design, Inc., Kwik Fill, Dan and Connie Evans, The Legend Group with Lou Deppas, Northwest Bank, Robbins and Johnson, PC, Attorneys, Shults Auto Group, National Fuel, Slone-Melhuish Insurance, Weinberg Financial Group and Wright, Calimeri, PLLC, Attorneys-at-Law. Media sponsors for the fundraiser include The Post-Journal and Media One Radio Group.

“We are grateful to our major sponsors and also to the many people who donate to the fund through coin canisters, in the mail, online, by purchasing hot dogs and by donating redeemable containers,” Robbins said. “The support of our community in this campaign each year is deeply gratifying, and we thank everyone who gets involved. Let’s all get together and help St. Susan Center and its guests again this year.”

St. Susan Center is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays. For additional information or for answers to any questions regarding the annual fundraiser, local residents can contact Robbins at 716-661-1680 or brobbins@jamestownbpu.com.