Fred,
 
If the bees have capped it, it is ripe.  The freezer step is one that
you should not skip.  Comb honey most likely contains wax moth eggs.  It
is advisable to freeze your comb honey for 24 hrs prior to
packing/marketing (or in your case, donating) the combs.  The freezing
step will kill the wax moth eggs.  Skip that step and the eggs will
hatch into wax moth larvae, which will not amuse your customers!
 
I recommend that you read a copy of _Honey_in_the_Comb_ by who(?)
Killion, printed by Dadant Press.  It covers all aspects of comb honey
production (although the method outlined is quite labor intensive).  The
book also contains an excellent section on raising your own queens.
 
Good luck with your combs!
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!