Freddy's to donate food, fundraising to local food banks

12/1/2012

Other restaurants challenged to join holiday effort.

BY RACHAEL GRAY

rgray@gctelegram.com

In order to help feed those in need this holiday season, a local restaurant is donating food, fundraising for local agencies and challenging other restaurants to do the same.

Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers will donate 1,000 steakburgers and buns to the food banks at United Methodist Mexican American Ministries and the Emmaus House.

Restaurant personnel also are coordinating with the Finney County United Way to organize fundraisers to benefit the agency.

Consuelo Sandoval, United Way executive director, said 70 percent of the food donated by Freddy's will go to Emmaus House and 30 percent will go to UMMAM.

"We are coordinating with Freddy's to go to some fundraisers. In the process of that, they asked about our food banks. Emmaus House always needs food and UMMAM is completely out of food," she said.

A recent article in The Telegram about the low food supply at local food banks prompted staff at Freddy's to ask about ways to help, according to Phil Black, director of communications for JRI Management, which operates 12 Freddy's restaurants.

"We started coordinating this in November," Black said.

The steakburgers will be delivered Wednesday to Emmaus House and UMMAM.

Black and the staff at Freddy's are challenging other restaurants to get involved.

"If we could get nine other restaurants to donate food for 1,000 people, we could be providing food for 10,000 in this community," Black said.

Sandoval said the donation is generous and the support for United Way also is appreciated.

"I think that it's going to be great for them to raise awareness of hunger in Finney County. Those agencies having this donation, it's nice. And the offer came from them, instead of us asking. That's a real community-minded business," she said.

The fundraisers for United Way will take place at Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, 3112 E. Kansas Ave., from 5 to 8 p.m. starting Dec. 11. Other fundraising dates are Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29 at the restaurant.

A flat 15 percent of all sales will go to United Way, Black said.

"We ask that representatives of the funded organizations be there to let folks know what's going on so it's a team effort," Black said.

For more information about donating to the United Way and food banks in Finney County, contact Sandoval at 275-1425, UMMAM at 275-1766 or Emmaus House at 275-2008.