Here at Dunkin’, our cups have been filled with optimism as we see stories of individuals helping their communities pour in. A crucially important way to give back, especially in these times, is through blood donation, which is essential to hospital and medical operations. A group of family owned Dunkin’ stores in Tampa Bay, Florida set out to help.
Franchisees Tom and Sue Masson, and Cathleen Cavanagh, Tom’s sister, noticed their Dunkin’ parking lots had less traffic as a result of Dunkin’ dining rooms being closed for dine-in service. So, Cavanagh reached out to OneBlood, a not-for-profit organization responsible for providing blood to more than 200 hospital partners and their patients, and offered up their parking lots. OneBlood operates the Big Red Bus®, a roving blood donation center.
As a result, throughout April, OneBlood hosted six Big Red Bus® donation events in the parking lots of the family’s Dunkin’ stores across Tampa Bay. Every donor was presented a Dunkin’ gift card as a thank you for participating. “We wanted to create some light out of a dark situation,” said Tom Masson. “Every effort counts right now and we’re thankful to be able to serve our community in this way.”
The Massons and Cavanagh have a second round of events planned with OneBlood and the Big Red Bus® during the first week of May. They are continuing to evaluate their community’s needs to offer additional support, wherever possible.
“It’s extremely important that people continue to donate blood during these times to ensure a ready blood supply while still following our safe social distancing practices that have donors’ safety at the forefront,” said Tirzah Zielinski, Vice President of Marketing at OneBlood. “We’re incredibly thankful for partners like Tom, Sue, and Cathy who recognize the great need for blood donation in our community and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”
As of March 17, service at Dunkin’ U.S. restaurants is temporarily limited to carry-out, drive-thru ordering, and delivery, with a select number of locations also offering curbside service. Stay informed on our response to COVID-19 here and follow the stories of how our Dunkin’ community is coming together to keep America running here.
To-date, through funding provided by Dunkin’, its franchisees, and its Foundation, hundreds of thousands of complimentary cups of coffee, donuts, Keurig® K-Cup pods, and Dunkin’ gift cards were delivered to more than 300 hospitals and emergency sites, and counting. Let’s keep going. Want to thank a local hero for all that they do? Send them a Dunkin’ e-gift card at DunkinCoffeeBreak.com. For every card sent, Dunkin’ will donate $1, up to $100,000, to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation emergency funds, specifically for non-profits helping families affected by COVID-19.
What acts of kindness have you seen in your local community? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To stay up to date on all things Dunkin’, sign up for our email news alerts at news.dunkindonuts.com/alerts.
