Chick-fil-A this week announced a $10.8 million COVID-19 relief effort with the goal of having “an immediate impact on the needs of local communities.”
The $10.8 million will be distributed to local communities through Chick-fil-A’s network of 1,800-plus independent restaurants. The goal, Chick-fil-A said, is to help local restaurants serve their communities.
“Striving to be a supportive, caring and generous neighbor is in our DNA. Our restaurant Operators give back locally in so many ways, and this time is no exception,” said Chick-fil-A Chairman and CEO Dan Cathy.
The funds will be available through June and used for efforts such as food donations to first responders, health care workers and the families of Chick-fil-A workers.
Chick-fil-A also said that:
- More than 320,000 free meals have been served through the Chick-fil-A Shared Table program since the beginning of March. The program involves surplus food donations by restaurants.
- More than 5,000 meals have been donated to “school systems, health care workers and others on the front lines” in Atlanta, Ga., the company’s hometown.
- Chick-fil-A’s supply chain has donated 7,715 cases “of fresh produce to Feeding America.”
“I’m humbled by the incredible care our restaurant teams have shown – from offering free meals to health care workers to feeding school children in need to writing notes of encouragement for guests,” Cathy said. “They know where the need is in their local community, and our goal for this fund is to support their efforts.”
Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A is continuing its annual tradition of investing in the “educational dreams” of its workers.
“Chick-fil-A will invest a total of $17 million in scholarships to 6,700 Team Members in 47 states and Canada this year,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement. “Scholarships can be applied to any area of study at any accredited institution. Chick-fil-A is honored to be able to continue helping Team Members offset the cost of education during this challenging time.”
Photo courtesy: Kayla Koslosky
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
