Corporate social responsibility has become a high priority for businesses and the franchise industry is no exception. Using your success to benefit the lives of others is arguably the biggest perk of running a successful business. In this week's Friday Franchising News, we take a look at franchises impacting their local communities.
Ronald McDonald House Charities Assist Families of Sick Children
The Ronald McDonald House Charities scheme was set up by McDonald's to help families stay close to their children in hospital. There are fourteen houses located in areas close to children's hospitals such as Alder Hey, Birmingham and Bristol. This week, new mother Nancy Underwood told McDonald's how grateful she was to stay in the Evelina London House while her daughter Alba was receiving treatment for gastroschisis. Nancy stated: "By staying at the House, I could feasibly visit Alba all through the day and at any time of the night, which removed the additional stress of being apart from her." Thankfully, Nancy and Alba are now back at home but the Underwoods remain eternally grateful to the McDonald's team for offering them a warm and comfortable home from home!
Local Charities Refuse KFC's Poultry Donation
KFC's 1.5 million associates and franchisees offer meals, donations and personal time to their local communities every day. This week KFC experienced a supply crisis that left them with tonnes of surplus chicken. The company announced on Wednesday that some chicken would have to be destroyed at a cold storage facility in Warwickshire. KFC revealed on Twitter that they were attempting to minimise their waste by donating some to local food charities but not all charities were open to the offer. Charities such as FareShare and Rugby Foodbank stated that they could only accept long-life food items that have been stored robustly. A KFC spokesperson said: "Over 80% of our restaurants are now open and the backlog of fresh kitchen stock at the depot is now cleared." On Thursday morning, KFC stated that 692 stores were open, with the remaining 208 still closed.
With Thanks Have Partnered with Kidney Research
With Thanks are a leading sweet and snack box business offering part and full time franchise opportunities across the UK. They have established a fantastic partnership with Kidney Research and have raised a fantastic £200,000 to date. This money has been put to excellent use, helping to fund research about cures and preventions for kidney disease and to help support patients and families who are currently living with the disease. There are currently over three million people in the UK who are affected by kidney disease and Kidney Research are grateful for all the support they have received.
Subway Are Offering Grants to Projects Promoting a Healthy Way of Life
There are approximately 44,000 Subway stores around the world and the company have been franchising since 1974. They are currently working together with Heart Research UK to offer grants of up to £10,000 to projects that promote a healthy heart. The overall aim for this partnership is to help communities to live longer, healthier and happier lives. Subway are on the lookout for new, original and creative projects that focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and applications for 2018 are open now.