SAMC added to Ponderosa restaurant's menu of giving

A steady serving of charity


CROWN POINT - There appears no end to the generosity of Jimmie Sue and Gerald Farmer, owners of Ponderosa steak house, 1498 N. Main St. It isn’t enough that they have spent most of the last year donating 40,000-plus free meal passes (worth about $10 each) to help area residents cope with the economic slowdown. Now, they are joining with Saint Anthony Medical Center in another cause to benefit the less fortunate.

The Farmers, who have owned the restaurant since 2002, will donate half of July 29’s proceeds (hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.) to the Saint Anthony Medical Center Capital Campaign, which seeks to raise $4.5 million by the end of 2010.

The money will be used to build a new, larger complex to house the medical center’s St. Clare Health Clinic and Pre-Natal Assistance program, both of which provide free services for qualified Northwest Indiana residents.

So far, nearly $2 million, which includes matching funds from a private donor, has been raised since the campaign drive began early last year.
“A lot of people need help right now and St. Clare has helped a lot of people,” Jimmie Sue said. “I think people these days need hope. We want them to know we care, and that care is right around the corner.”

The Farmers are following the lead of Circle Restaurant and Bar, 110 S. Court St., and Conservative Café, 201 N. Main St., which earlier this year donated half, or more, of a days’ proceeds to the cause.

Warren Johnson, director of development for Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region, applauds the owners of Ponderosa, Circle Restaurant and Bar and Conservative Café. “In our stressed economy, we are looking for ways to reach out to the Crown Point business community to not only raise much-needed funds for our Capital Campaign, but to build lasting relationships that support local businesses,” Johnson said.