Restaurant teams and Frosty fans raised
$22.6 million benefiting The Dave
Thomas Foundation for Adoption
DUBLIN,
Ohio, March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing
a more than 30-year history of supporting foster care adoption,
Wendy's® helped raise a record-breaking $22.6 million benefiting the Dave Thomas
Foundation for Adoption® over the last year including fundraising
programs like "Make A Biggie Difference" sponsored by Coca-Cola®
and Keurig Dr Pepper®, coin canister collection, Boo! Books®, and
Frosty® Key Tags.
Wendy's cause marketing efforts include fund-raising and
fan-raising for their signature cause. Over the last three decades,
Wendy's has motivated its fans and restaurant teams to raise more
than $310 million for the Foundation
to help find loving, permanent homes for more children lingering in
foster care. Dollars raised directly advance the Foundation's
mission to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of the
more than 113,000 children in the U.S. currently waiting to be
adopted from foster care.
"We are so grateful to every single Wendy's customer who
purchased a Boo! Books coupon book, a Frosty Key Tag, scanned our
carryout bags during Make a Biggie Difference, or dropped spare
change in our coin collection canisters," said Lindsay Radkoski, Wendy's U.S. Chief Marketing
Officer. "Every year, nearly 20,000 youth in the U.S. age out of
foster care without a forever family, but our partnership with the
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is making a life-changing
difference."
An Unprecedented Goal Reached
The Wendy's System
of franchisees, operators, and crew members raised a
record-breaking $9.2 million through
Boo! Books during its 20th campaign. Warner Bros.
Discovery Global Consumer Products and DC joined forces with
Wendy's for the first time. The DC-inspired coupon book had five
coupons for free Jr. Frosty treats featuring iconic Frosty
characters dressed up as DC Super Heroes, plus a sixth coupon for a
$1.99 Wendy's Kids'
Meal® with any purchase. Wendy's $1 Boo! Books were available from September 4, 2023 through November 5, 2023.
In honor of National Adoption Month in November, Wendy's brought
back the fan-favorite Frosty Key Tags. Available November 20,
2023 through February 18, 2024,
Wendy's fans could buy a $3 Frosty
Key Tag to score a free Jr. Frosty with purchase all year long – a
sweet deal for an even sweeter cause. Through Frosty Key Tags,
Wendy's reached $12.5 million raised
to advance the Foundation's critical work.
"The Wendy's family has been an incredible supporter and
champion of the Foundation's mission," said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave
Thomas Foundation for Adoption. "Together, we have helped find
permanent, loving families for more than 14,000 children in foster
care across the U.S. and Canada.
Funds raised through Wendy's mean we can continue expanding our
national awareness campaigns and innovative programs to serve more
children still waiting for the stability and security of a forever
home."
Wendy's Commitment to Adoption
Dave Thomas, Wendy's founder, was adopted when
he was six weeks old. In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas
Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation and Wendy's share a
commitment to achieving Thomas's vision that every child has a
permanent home and a loving family. Through its signature program,
Wendy's Wonderful Kids®, the Foundation supports the hiring of
adoption professionals, known as recruiters, who are dedicated to
finding permanent families for children in foster care who are too
often overlooked. That includes teenagers, children with special
needs, and siblings. A rigorous, five-year national evaluation
revealed that children referred to the Wendy's Wonderful Kids
program are up to three times more likely to be adopted from foster
care.
About Wendy's
Wendy's was founded in 1969 by
Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Dave built his business on the
premise, "Quality Is Our Recipe®," which remains the guidepost of
the Wendy's system. Wendy's is best known for its made-to-order
square hamburgers, using fresh, never frozen beef*, freshly
prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked
potatoes and the Frosty dessert. The Wendy's Company (Nasdaq:
WEN) is committed to doing the right thing and making a positive
difference in the lives of others. This is most visible
through the Company's support of the Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption and its signature Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, which
seeks to find a loving, forever home for every child waiting to be
adopted from the North American foster care system. Today,
Wendy's and its franchisees employ hundreds of thousands of people
across over 7,000 restaurants worldwide with a vision of becoming
the world's most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. For details
on franchising, connect with us at www.wendys.com/franchising.
Visit www.wendys.com and www.squaredealblog.com for more
information and connect with us on X and Instagram using @wendys,
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wendys.
About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit
public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more
than 140,000 children waiting in North
America's foster care systems. Created by
Wendy's founder Dave Thomas who
was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based,
results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption
awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more,
visit davethomasfoundation.org.
*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Canada.
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SOURCE The Wendy's Company