FroyoWorld Loves the Taste of Sweet Charity

As FroyoWorld Middletown gears up for its one-year anniversary in September, the frozen yogurt purveyor has come up with a pretty "cool" way to avoid waste and provide delicious desserts to patrons of the city's soup kitchen, according to franchise co-owner Susan Santoro.

At the end of every month, FroyoWorld, which offers an array of frozen yogurt flavors like green apple tart, banana pie sorbet, sweet pink grapefruit sorbet and tiramisu pie, empties out its machine dispensers. Rather than dispose of the yogurt, Santoro says they fill up containers and donate the frozen confection to the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen.

In all, Santoro says the store donates about 160 ounces a month.

"Just because they can't afford food, let alone a healthy and tasty dessert, doesn't mean they can't have any," Santoro says about the soup kitchen patrons.

Sometimes, St. Vincent dePaul's freezers can't accommodate the frozen yogurt, Santoro says, so she sends FroyoWorld to the Northern Middlesex YMCA Kids Korner after- and before-school programs based at all eight of Middletown's elementaries.

The reason for FroyoWorld's philanthropic work is simple. "I feel so blessed that we are supported by so many," customers who continue to fill their cups with icy treats.

One of FroyoWorld Middletown's big initiatives is charity work, says Santoro, who also owns the Waterbury FroyoWorld. During the Sandy Hook tragedy, all the employees donated their tips and the store a percentage of sales for two days, eventually sending between $700 and $800 to the fund.

In October, Santoro says, the staff does a similar benefit for breast cancer in which information on self-exams and breast cancer prevention is handed out.

In August, there will be two more benefits.

On Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. rock, folk and Beatles-inspired singer-songwriter Sal Annunziata, who lost his daughter to a drunk driver, will play in the store and is donating his full fee to Mothers Against Drunk Driving Connecticut Chapter.

FroyoWorld will also give a portion of that day's sales to MADD on his behalf. 

On Aug. 25 from noon to 8 p.m., a portion of purchase sales will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in honor of Ryan Wentzell, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 3.

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