A fund-raising drive by a bakery in Colorado has netted more than $3,300 for the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding effort being coordinated by Rebuild East Mississippi (REM.)

Maro and Ed Dimmer, owners of Rheinlander Bakery in Arvada, Colorado, announced that a Mardi Gras King Cake sale they spearheaded raised $3,381.54 for REM. They said the total includes cake sales and donations from customers in Arvada, Denver and Meridian.

"The response from Arvada, the Denver metro area and Meridian was amazing," Ed Dimmer said. "Not only did we raise this money but we also raised awareness of the ongoing need, strengthened old friendships and formed new ones."

Through a friendship between Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith and Arvada Mayor Ken Fellman, the residents of Arvada responded to local needs immediately following Katrina. An aide to Mayor Fellman arrived in Meridian with a truckload of school supplies. Weeks later, the residents of Arvada sent building store gift certificates totaling $8,000.

This year, in the weeks before Mardi Gras, the Dimmers decided to carry on the support effort by donating the proceeds of their King Cake sales to REM.

"Ourselves and our employees had a blast doing this fund-raiser," said Dimmer. "We are looking forward to future years as long as there's a need."

Maureen Lofton

Assistant for Governmental Affairs

City of Meridian