SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – A nearly three-decade-old program is giving Sarasota diners a chance to direct a portion of their restaurant bill to local nonprofits.
Throughout September, the 1905 Family of Restaurants is holding its 29th annual Community Harvest program. The company donates 5% of participating customers’ checks to nonprofit organizations selected by the diners.
In Sarasota, the program is offered at Columbia Restaurant and Cha Cha Coconuts on St. Armands Circle.
Casey Gonzmart Jr., owner and operator of the 1905 Family of Restaurants, said his family created the program as a way to support organizations serving the communities where its restaurants operate.
“You can’t be around as long as we’ve been around unless the communities around you support you,” Gonzmart said.
At the end of a meal, customers receive a ballot listing participating nonprofits. Diners select an organization, and 5% of the check is donated to that group at no additional cost to the customer.
The ballot also allows diners to write in a nonprofit that is not on the provided list.
“If there’s a charity that we haven’t heard of or one that we don’t know of or one that didn’t apply that year, you can handwrite a charity in there, and we’ll donate 5% of that check to that charity as well,” Gonzmart said.
Since Community Harvest began, the program has generated about $4.8 million for nonprofit organizations across Florida.
Suncoast Charities for Children is one of roughly 15 organizations included on the local ballot this year.
The organization receives its support from the program in the form of restaurant gift cards, which can be used to recognize volunteers and support other fundraising efforts.
“The Columbia Restaurant will give us gift cards in increments of $50 that we use to thank volunteers,” Executive Director Lucy Nicandri said. “We put them in our auction baskets, so it helps with our fundraising efforts as well.”
Those gift cards have also been used to recognize volunteers who donate their time to events such as the Holiday Boat Parade of Lights and Friendliest Catch.
“It’s a great way to say thanks and also fundraise,” Nicandri said. “We put it in a lot of our raffle baskets and auction prizes.”
For Nicandri, the impact of Community Harvest goes beyond her own organization, with nonprofits across Florida benefiting from the program.
“The give back that it gives to so many charities in the state of Florida is remarkable,” she said.
The 29th annual Community Harvest program runs through Sept. 30. The program is also available for to-go orders at participating locations.
Copyright 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved.
Dining and Cooking