Ten years ago, the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation began hosting its annual "Week of Joy," a week of service dedicated for Dunkin’ franchisees and team members to participate in volunteer events at food banks across the United States to help spread joy while combatting food insecurity in their communities. What started as a Week of Joy evolved into a month-long initiative called "Good Citizens Month” which takes place every April.
This year, nearly 2,000 Dunkin' franchisees and team members volunteered over 4,1000 hours of their time across 108 events. To honor the 10th year of this annual volunteer program, the Foundation donated more than $1 million through 23 grants totalling $50,000 each to food banks in 18 states.
“According to the USDA, one in five children in the U.S. are faced with food insecurity and I am proud the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation is able to fund food assistance programs for kids and make an impact by lending a hand at our partner food banks,” said Victor Carvalho, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. “To see the enthusiasm that Dunkin’ employees, franchisees and crew members have had to grow this volunteer initiative is truly amazing.”
Tim Walker is a Dunkin’ Franchise Business Consultant who coordinated three volunteer events at food banks in Virginia and Tennessee. The Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation provided the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore with $50,000 grants to support their BackPack Program, which provides children receiving free or reduced-price school meals with a free package of six child-friendly, nutritious meals every Friday to last throughout the weekend. Each BackPack costs approximately $11 and this grant of $50,000 will supply 27,270 meals for the packs.
“The Foodbank is immensely grateful for the generous $50,000 donation from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation,” said Christopher Tan, Foodbank President and CEO. “As we approach the warmer months, the challenges of food insecurity become more pronounced for many in our community. During this critical time, our donations of both food and funds typically decline significantly. However, thanks to Dunkin's support, our food bank will run on Dunkin’ through the additional 100,000 meals they will provide to our neighbors in need.”
Joe Marando is a Franchise Business Consultant for Dunkin’ based in the New York area. Over the years, local Dunkin’ team members and franchisees have been regular volunteers with Long Island Cares, to the point that Long Island Cares named the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation a “Corporate Hero.” When asked what motivates him to coordinate volunteers, Marando said “We see the positive impact that Long Island Cares has in the community. It is very rewarding to partner with a group that does such positive work.”
Franchisee and Foundation Board Member Dave Baumgartner of the Bluemont Group prioritizes giving back not just during Good Citizens Month, but throughout the year. This year, the networks organized 7 events in 6 different cities in the Southeast, which is a large investment of time and coordination.
“Several of the Bluemont Group’s leadership team members travel and participate in multiple events, because it’s important to demonstrate to our team that we act on our values at all levels of the organization and don’t just talk about them,” stated Baumgartner. He went on to say, “One of the things we love about all of the Good Citizens Month events is that it underscores to our team that “Treasure” is not to only way to give; Time and Talent are just as valuable of a contribution. It is a way for people to know that they can participate in serving.”
Closer to Dunkin’s Massachusetts roots, Boston Support Center employees Seamus Butler and Shelley Misiph partnered to coordinate volunteer events for all Boston Support Center employees, scheduling 14 events staffed by 150+ volunteers. Nonprofit organization Happy Hope Factory joined team members onsite as volunteers packed Happy Hope Bags for kids at local children’s hospitals and shelters. Squaring with the Foundation’s mission to bring joy to kids battling illness and hunger, these bags will contain fun stuff intended to bring joy and engagement to kids, including coloring books, crayons, activity mats, stickers, activity packs, and much more.
Butler explains their focus as “finding opportunities that can involve as many staff from the Boston Support Center as possible. The more hours we can give, the better. The true focus is putting food in front of children or helping them find moments of solace while in the hospital, but without the incredible support from the staff here in Canton and the organizations we partner with, it wouldn’t be possible.”
Since 2015, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted over $11 million to over 1,500 hunger relief organizations and volunteered over 39,000 hours to help end childhood hunger.
To learn more about the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation and the work it does to support children across the country, visit bringjoy.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
