Best of Charitable Giving
Best Call to Action
Häagen-Dazs Creates
Bee Buzz
In an effort to spotlight the issue of the declining honeybee population, which could affect the nation’s food supply in the years to come, the Haagen-Dazs brand has not only given financially (to the tune of $250,000), but in June brought the message to Capitol Hill in conjunction with Pollinator.org. Together, they hosted an “Ice Cream Social on the Hill” to create a buzz about the importance of the honeybee. The timing is right. Colony losses for the honeybee this year increased 14 percent, according to a survey of U.S. beekeepers commissioned by the Apiary Inspectors of America.
Best Money and Mouths Move
Yum! Brands World Hunger Relief Pledge
At this year’s Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, Yum! Brands promised to put its money where hungry mouths are. The quick-service giant announced a five-year, $80 million commitment to help feed school children in developing countries. Here at home, Yum! also pledged to provide $200 million worth of prepared food for relief organizations, to volunteer 20 million hours of service to feed the hungry, and to use its marketing platform to convince others to get involved.
Best Franchisee-Led Effort
Grant Development Supports MDA
Arby’s franchisee Grant Development Group sold shamrocks this year in 35 restaurants in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and raised $26,000 for the Auburn, New York, chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, bringing the total donation over the years to $90,000.
Best Kids Campaign
California Tortilla Donates Kid’s Meals
Fresh-Mex concept California Tortilla was twice as generous this year, offering free Kid’s Meals in July at its Rockville, Maryland, location, and then matching the giveaway number with vouchers donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic. It was the chain’s celebratory response to a reader’s poll in The Washingtonian naming it Best Casual Restaurant for Kids.
Best Example of Spreading the Love
Little Caesars Feeds the Hungry
More than 3,000 Detroit residents ate free pizza August 10–15, thanks to Little Caesars’ mobile Love Kitchen. The kitchen on wheels first stopped by Detroit’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base then continued on to city soup kitchens and shelters. The Love Kitchen has fed more than 2 million people in 48 states since 1985.