Bob and Bobbie Bacon
Gregg’s Restaurants and Taverns
Rhode Island
Giving back is ingrained in the mission of Gregg’s Restaurants & Taverns. Rhode Islanders Bob and Bobbie Bacon lead Gregg’s many charitable efforts, which have been supporting the Providence community for over two decades, and all started with Gregg’s Giving Tree.
Through Gregg’s Giving Tree, restaurant patrons are matched with people in need - from children, to entire families and organizations like churches and nursing homes. Each restaurant puts up a Christmas tree in the restaurant, which features tags representing the individual in need and what it is that they’d like for Christmas. Then patrons pick a recipient and provide the goods. Their participation is rewarded when they receive a coupon for a free slice of Gregg’s award winning Chocolate Layer cake. In addition Gregg’s uses generous donations from their vendors and friends to purchase gifts for individuals not selected from the tree.
As Bob describes: “We like to focus on helping the immediate community as much as possible, and we knew that our guests were community-oriented. Gregg’s Giving Tree works because people are good and want to help - but it’s often hard to find the time. We’ve set up our restaurants to serve as the connector between giving patrons, vendors, other local businesses and of course, Gregg’s own employees, to make sure folks in our community have the Christmas they deserve.”
Over the years, Gregg’s Giving Tree has grown from serving one school in Providence to 18 organizations and 16 families, supported by 150-200 volunteers. These days, pastors, social workers, principles and teachers all reach out to the Giving Tree with needs. “We’ve expanded into a warehouse, where we get truckloads of gifts,” says Bobbie. “For one organization we even unwrap the presents received so parents can come choose for their children in a store like setting. This gives them the feeling of providing for their families and the kids view the presents as coming from their parents.”
And that’s not all. Since 1996, Gregg’s Restaurants has hosted Gregg’s Giving Cake with Rhode Island’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Each time a whole Giving Cake is purchased at Gregg's, $2 is donated to Hasbro. Each slice purchased provides a 25-cent donation. In all, Gregg’s has contributed $150,000 since the program’s inception.
Bob and Bobbie are also involved with the Tomorrow Fund, for cancer patients, as well as community blood donation drives and food banks, Special Olympics, the Roger Williams Zoo, the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Foundation and many local PTAs. “You know, we hear often that the community is lucky to have us,” says Bobbie. “But the truth is, we’re lucky to have them. You can’t expect to be blessed if you don’t bless others."
Dr. Robert Klein, Pediatrician-in-Chief, Bobbie and Bob Bacon, owners of Gregg’s Restaurants
