Helping Neighbors in Need
This holiday season, we are thankful for all of our Goodcents locations and their generous customers. When the Goodcents Foundation started a “Pay it Forward” initiative earlier this year to help community members who were struggling because of the pandemic, we could not have anticipated how many customers would step up to help provide for their neighbors.
The “Pay it Forward” initiative gave Goodcents customers the option to donate a pound of meat or cheese for $5 at checkout. In the Kansas City metro area, donated bulk items were delivered to the nonprofit City Union Mission, an organization that provides warm beds, nutritious food and a place of safety for those in need.
Since April 15, Goodcents has delivered about 4,600 pounds of donated meat and cheese to City Union Mission and a total of 8,700 pounds of meat and cheese to nonprofit organizations in all areas served by Goodcents restaurants.
“We are so grateful to the Goodcents Foundation and the many customers who donated to the Pay it Forward program this year during the peak of the pandemic shutdown,” says Cassady Thomas, corporate relations director for City Union Mission. “The homeless population is always vulnerable, and in such uncertain times as these, the need and vulnerability is greater than ever. So in this season of Thanksgiving, we are thankful for you for stepping up to feed and help the homeless and poor in your community in this time of global crisis. Know that a pound of meat is more than a sandwich, but a smile, a full stomach and a chance to move forward and change a life.”
The Goodcents team looked for innovative ways to support the community last spring after grocery stores struggled to keep shelves stocked. The sub sandwich franchise, which is well-known for its freshly baked bread and hand-sliced meat and cheeses, found inspiration in its own pantry. Franchise owners throughout the system started selling meats and cheeses by the pound, offering customers the chance to stock their own refrigerators with bulk items from the restaurants. Goodcents charged $5 per pound for meats and cheeses and 75 cents per loaf of bread.
When we rolled out “Pay it Forward,” franchisees embraced the opportunity to help even more people during this unprecedented year, allowing customers to donate while they were purchasing items in the restaurants, through delivery, curbside or pickup. Customers could even call restaurants to place an order to donate.
The Goodcents Foundation supports the Kansas City community by teaching people of all ages to grow their own food via a thriving teaching garden curriculum. The foundation also supports a local food kitchen by supplying fresh bread.
“We are deeply committed to our community and to contributing to it in meaningful ways,” says Stacy Glazer, executive director of the Goodcents Foundation. “We know that the pandemic and the resulting economic uncertainty have impacted some of our neighbors more than others. Food insecurity is a problem for families who we know from work, who we worship with at church, whose kids go to school and play sports with our kids, and we will continue to help keep those families fed.”
This Thanksgiving, we are especially grateful for our hard-working franchisees and caring customers who are helping us “Pay it Forward” in our community.