Arby’s® Doubles Pledged Donation, Gives $2 Million to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign
Arby’s Foundation, Inc.
1155 Perimeter Center West
Atlanta, GA 30338
Phone: 678.514.4100
Fax: 678.514.5334
www.arbysfoundation.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: December 15, 2011
Contact: Terri Evans/Bcauz Marketing
404-593-8064/[email protected]
Anne Houseman/Share Our Strength
202-478-6513/[email protected]
Arby’s® Doubles Pledged Donation, Gives $2 Million
to Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign
Contribution Helps Connect Children Struggling with Hunger to Millions of Meals
Atlanta and Washington, D.C. – December 15, 2011 – More than 16 million children face hunger in America today, but help has proven to be a collective “good mood” away. With the generosity of Arby’s customers, employees and franchisees over the past several months, the Arby’s Foundation has contributed over $2 million to the No Kid Hungry Campaign, a national effort to end childhood hunger in America. The recent Share Your Good Mood restaurant fundraising program benefiting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign more than doubled the Arby’s Foundation’s original pledge to raise $1 million during the fourth quarter.
“Only one dollar donated to the No Kid Hungry Campaign can help connect a child facing hunger here in the U.S. to 10 meals, so just imagine what two million dollars can do,” said Billy Shore, CEO and founder of Share Our Strength. “In an extraordinarily short amount of time, Arby’s and its customers have made outstanding achievements toward our cause: ending childhood hunger. This sizeable contribution will allow us to allocate vital resources to children in need and to continue growing our work across the nation to ensure no child goes hungry.”
Arby’s is the first national quick service restaurant chain to partner in a nationwide effort with the No Kid Hungry Campaign and is among the first No Kid Hungry Campaign partners to collectively give and raise $2 million in the first year of a partnership. The partnership kicked off in October with the introduction of new and more nutritious choices on the Arby’s Kids Meal menu.
The Share Your Good Mood Campaign allowed Arby’s customers to donate one dollar to the cause, yielding a total of more than $1.7 million in donations. The Arby’s Foundation contributed an additional $300,000 rendering over $2 million dollars to the No Kid Hungry Campaign.
“The generosity of the Arby’s customers, employees and franchisees is inspiring,” said Arby’s Foundation Executive Director, Kate Atwood. “It’s clear that they care about helping to end childhood hunger in America. This pressing matter relies on all of our commitments to ensure no child in America goes hungry. At Arby’s, we have only just begun and we are honored to do this work on behalf of the estimated 16 million children in America who are at risk of not receiving the meals they need to learn, play and grow.”
Arby’s and the Arby’s Foundation have generated significant national awareness to the childhood hunger movement and to the No Kid Hungry Campaign, by leveraging its restaurants and digital and social media properties in the fight to end childhood hunger in America. In addition to the national fundraiser in-store and online, Arby’s hosted a Foursquare challenge, donating $1 for every “check-in” at its restaurants nationwide. On Facebook and Twitter, Arby’s provided a meter allowing fans to monitor their fundraising success. Arby’s employees chipped in as well, participating in a series of events, including Bag Hunger Day to champion the cause.
The Arby’s Foundation will continue the partnership with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign in 2012 and beyond by ongoing efforts to raise awareness and funds to improve access to feeding programs in local communities. The Arby’s Foundation will also continue supporting Share Our Strength’s national and state campaigns to ensure American children are connected to the meals they need to grow and thrive.
About Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc.
Atlanta-based Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. is the second largest quick-service sandwich chain in the U.S. with more than 3,600 restaurants systemwide. In addition to its classic Roast Beef and Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwiches, slow-roasted and thinly sliced in store daily, Arby’s is also known for its deli-style MarketFresh® line of sandwiches, wraps and salads, Curly Fries and Jamocha Shakes. In addition to a new wholesome Kids Meal, the latest news includes the 2011 introduction of Arby’s first premium Angus beef menu line called Ultimate Angus. For more information about Arby’s, please visit www.arbys.com, http://www.facebook.com/arbys, or http://twitter.com/Arbys.
About the Arby’s Foundation, Inc.
Since 1986, the Arby’s Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, has raised more than $52 million to support youth initiatives in the communities the foundation serves. Celebrating its 25th year, the Arby’s Foundation has embarked on a new mission to join the fight to end childhood hunger in America because every child deserves to learn, play, and grow. The Arby’s Foundation is the charitable arm of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc., and works together with AFA Service Corporation (Arby’s Franchise Association), Arby’s suppliers and the generosity of Arby’s customers and employees to support the foundation’s mission. For more information on the Arby’s Foundation, please visit https://arbys.com/foundation.html
About Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit, is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting children with the nutritious food they need to lead healthy, active lives. Through its No Kid Hungry Campaign – a national effort to end childhood hunger in America by 2015 – Share Our Strength ensures children in need are enrolled in federal nutrition programs, invests in community organizations fighting hunger, teaches families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, and builds public-private partnerships to end childhood hunger, at the state and city level. Visit Strength.org to get involved.
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