By the time Walk Like MADD steps off from the Branford Green on Saturday, Oct. 10, Jared Schulefand and his team at HOME restaurant will have already made great strides in supporting this worthy cause.

As owner, operator, and head chef of HOME, Jared’s made a point of becoming involved in the community from the days the eatery, located at 1114 Main Street in Branford, opened its doors a little more than three years ago.

“I’ve just always felt that it’s very important to support the community that you expect to support you,” says Jared, a Branford resident. “I want the people from Branford and Guilford and the supporting areas to come and support my restaurant, so I feel it’s important to do all the different things with the community. It’s about giving back to the community and also being part of the community.”

Jared began backing Walk Like MADD in earnest in 2013. Last year, he became a member of the committee that oversees fundraising and building awareness for the annual Walk in Branford. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, HOME will donate 20 percent of all evening proceeds to Branford WALK Like MADD 2015.

“It’s a way for people to come in and support the restaurant and at the same time, we support MADD. We donate 20 percent of all the proceeds from the evening directly to the walk,” says Jared. “It’s a way to get our customers to support the walk without having to make a direct donation. Even if they come in and have an appetizer, they’re making a donation.”

Jared also encourages anyone who wants to join Walk Like MADD as a participant to register online on at www.walklikemadd.org/branford. Day-of registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, with pre-walk remarks set for 9 a.m. and the walk take-off scheduled for 10 a.m. in front of Town Hall. .

HOME is steps away from site of Walk Like MADD’s Oct. 10 event, which goes off rain or shine. The Branford walk, now in its seventh year, is one of two in the state and also bears the honor of being the site of the state’s first-ever Walk Like MADD. Connecticut MADD is headquartered in East Haven.

People from across the shoreline come out to join the Branford Walk each year, on a day when spirits are high. The event’s geared toward remembering loved ones, inspiring change, and supporting MADD’s commitment to end drunk driving. The Branford Walk will include music, food, family fun, and the opportunity to sign the pledge to join MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving.

Joining Jared at the Walk will be MADD National President Colleen Sheehey-Church, as well as drunk driving crash survivor Mary Esposito. The walk is dedicated to the memory of a victim of drunk driving, East Haven resident James Glee.

In 2014, 114 people in Connecticut were killed in drunk driving crashes, according to MADD. Nationwide, more than 10,000 lost their lives due to drunk driving and another 290,000 were injured in crashes.

On Nov. 12, Jared and HOME will receive a Connecticut MADD Community Champions award for the work he’s done locally to raise awareness in support of MADD’s mission.

“With this recognition, we support people in community and state who have worked on our mission and are important to our community,” says MADD Executive Director Janice Heggie Margolis. “This is the first time we’re recognizing a restaurant. It will be HOME restaurant and really Jared who we are recognizing, because he is a champion who eats, sleeps, and breathes it.”

Margolis said the recognition may also help turn back the misconception that MADD doesn’t condone alcohol consumption. MADD stresses responsible alcohol consumption.

“People think we are prohibitionists; we are not,” says Margolis. “We’re not saying bars and restaurants should be alcohol-free.”

Jared says it’s an important point that he hope other restaurateurs will recognize.

“That’s a huge misconception among restaurant owners, especially,” he points out. “MADD is not promoting not drinking. I think from a restaurant point of view, it’s very important, because we deal with consumption of alcohol, and as the permittee, it’s my responsibility to make sure people aren’t drinking and driving. So if I can support an organization that helps with the awareness of it, it’s kind of a win-win for everybody.”

Jared says the concept of being responsible is one he hopes reaches restaurant patrons, too.

“The responsible adult, that’s made a decision they’re driving that night, they should not drink, or they should have one drink when they get to the restaurant and then not drink,” he says.

The Johnson and Wales University graduate worked in all aspects of the restaurant business for 15 years before opening HOME, his first restaurant. Locals love the atmosphere Jared’s strived to create, featuring “...freshly cooked meals, friends and family,” he explains. “Cooking and eating at HOME should be full of warmth and laughter, good food, and good times.”

As a Hamden High School student, Jared, now 32, was involved in Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) as a teen. Since he joined the Branford Walk Like MADD committee, he’s become even more familiar with the message and mission of ending drunk driving.

“Growing up in the area and going to high school, you learn about it and you know about it, but when you’re involved with the committee, you learn really how many lives it affects,” he says.