Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation makes $100,000 donation to Feeding America member food banks
National Volunteer Week is celebrated each April to recognise the impact volunteers make in US communities. This year, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is marking the occasion with a $100,000 donation to support nearly 100 Feeding America member food banks in communities Dunkin’ serves.
The donations are being made in honour of the Foundation’s annual Week of Joy volunteer event, which brings together Dunkin’ franchisees and restaurant team members to volunteer at Feeding America member food banks to make a difference in the fight against hunger. After limiting in-person volunteer events this year as a result of the pandemic, the Foundation has opted to instead provide impactful grants to the 93 Feeding America member food banks and eight other food banks and food pantries where Dunkin’ franchisees and team members have volunteered in the past.
“This donation to Feeding America is dedicated to our past Week of Joy volunteers and volunteer sites, including all of our franchisees and team members who are so committed to the communities where they live and work,” said Kari McHugh, executive director of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. “While we cannot volunteer together in-person this year, we hope we’ll be back in action next year to help fight hunger in our communities. In the meantime, this donation will help families who are facing hunger now.”
Because hunger and food insecurity remain high for families across the United States more than a year into the Covid-19 crisis, supporting local food banks is more important than ever, says Dunkin’.
“Feeding America and member food banks across the country are working hard to meet the needs of communities during this health and economic crisis,” said Lauren Biedron, vice president of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America. “We’re grateful to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation for helping to provide meals to children and families who need them most.”
The donations are part of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s 15-year partnership with Feeding America to help kids facing hunger. They are just one example of how the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has supported health and hunger-relief organizations during the pandemic. In addition to awarding three rounds of emergency grants totaling $3.25 million, Dunkin’, the Foundation, and Dunkin’ franchisees have also delivered more than 100,000 cups of free coffee to more than 300 hospitals, food banks, and emergency sites across the US. In addition, the Foundation introduced the Hero Recharge programme, a first-of-its-kind outdoor adventure programme designed to help nurses and other healthcare professionals cope with significant traumatic stress resulting from being on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To help support the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation and programmes like this, donate at: www.bringjoy.org.
