Atlanta-Area Arby’s Donating 10% of Friday Sales to City’s Centers of Hope Summer Meals Program

Patch Staff Report

Mayor Kasim Reed has presented a Phoenix Award to the Arby’s Foundation, the charitable arm of Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. (ARG), for their efforts to help end childhood hunger in Georgia and throughout the U.S. with their “School’s Out, Food’s In” partnership with Share Our Strength.

In support of this youth-related cause, Arby’s and the Arby’s Foundation are inviting Atlanta-area residents to visit their nearest Arby’s restaurant on May 16, when 10 percent of all proceeds will be donated to Mayor Reed’s Centers of Hope summer meals program.

"I'm so pleased that the Arby's Foundation has kicked off their national pilot program for ‘School's Out, Food's In’ right here in Atlanta," said Reed in a news release. "’This generous contribution to our Centers of Hope summer meals program will help to support the alleviation of childhood hunger, particularly during the vulnerable summer months."

Free summer meal programs are critical to help meet the nutritional needs of kids at risk of hunger during the months when school is not open. The Arby’s Foundation also announced during the kick-off of this year’s “Hungry for Happiness” mobile tour that they will be providing all APS students in grades pre-K through five with punch cards redeemable for 10 wholesome kids’ meals this summer. The cards will also provide families in need of assistance during this time of year, a texting program with Share Our Strength’s “No Kid Hungry” campaign, which connects people to local summer meal sites through their mobile phones.

“Children can’t be their best without proper nourishment,” said Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “And summer is a particularly challenging time when access to food is even more difficult as schools are closed. We want to help alleviate that problem. We’re pleased to work with Mayor Reed and help test programs in our own backyard that will provide the children of Atlanta with access to nutritious meals this summer and potentially help solve a very serious challenge for our youth nationwide.”

Within the 33 recreation centers, the City of Atlanta has created 10 Centers of Hope, high-performing recreation centers with enhanced youth development programming. Those recreation centers are: Adams, Adamsville, Bessie Branham, Grove Park, Peachtree Hills, Ben Hill, MLK, Rosel Fann, Pittman, and Thomasville. These 10 centers were chosen based on geographic and demographic criteria. More than 90 percent of young people in the city live within 2.5 miles of a Center of Hope or the Chastain Arts Center.

As part of daily programming, the Centers of Hope serve healthy snacks and hot meals to hundreds of the city’s most vulnerable youth. For a 180-day school year, more than 140,000 meals and snacks will be served to over 800 students participating in the program.