PLANO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KFC celebrated the return of its annual giving initiative, “Acts of Colonel-ness,” to honor what would have been founder Colonel Harland Sanders’ 129th birthday on September 9. The company challenged employees in more than 135 countries and territories to conduct 129,000 acts of service – upping the ante from last year’s challenge of 128,000 acts – throughout the month of September.
“Our founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, once said, ‘For me, money is not everything. As I have already said, I was more interested in doing good and helping people.’ Through Acts of Colonel-ness, we are proud that KFC employees and franchise partners worldwide team up each year to embody the Colonel’s generous spirit and celebrate his birthday by giving back to their communities,” said KFC Chief People and Development Officer, Dyke Shipp.
KFC employees around the world committed “Acts of Colonel-ness” to uplift their local communities, including:
- KFC U.S. employees celebrated in Louisville, KY through an ongoing partnership with Blessings in a Backpack, packing 2,200 meals for students in just one week.
- KFC Canada held a golf tournament and raised $120,000, which will go towards expanding KFC’s Harvest program and donating to local charities that various restaurants support. Additionally, KFC Canada developed the Bucket Bursary program which awards 11 store level team members $2,000 scholarships to be used at post-secondary institutions.
- KFC Singapore delivered food and fun to the patients of HCA Hospice Care, Singapore’s largest home hospice care provider which provides comfort and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses. Patients at the Marsiling branch enjoyed local KFC delicacies, including chicken, porridge and mooncakes while playing games and crafting lanterns.
- KFC India committed Acts of Colonel-ness the initiative by obtaining “wish lists” from their office building’s ground staff. Wishes included educational scholarships for children, assistance with medical bills, sponsoring dance classes, and more. The initiative allowed nearly 150 employees to make a difference, raising 5 Lakhs – the equivalent of $500,000 USD – to grant the wishes.
- KFC Germany tapped the spirit of the Colonel through multiple activations across the country including repainting staircases of Lebenshilfe in Ratingen, an organization and residence which provides support for individuals with disabilities and their families. Employees also built and donated winter dwellings for native birds and hedgehogs to a local non-governmental organization which focuses on nature conservation.
Marking the second year for this global community outreach effort, KFC’s inaugural Acts of Colonel-ness initiative in 2018 had 18 countries participate, with employees volunteering 900 hours and raising nearly $500,000 to support their respective communities.
Local community outreach that provides opportunity to others is a long-held value of KFC and its employees and franchise partners. In 2018, KFC raised over $9 million to support local causes, benefiting six KFC Foundations and over 90 other charities and community partners around the world. KFC team members and franchise partners also donated more than 2.5 million meals to different community partners last year through Harvest, a program that diverts leftover food from KFC restaurants to communities worldwide. Since launching in 1999, the KFC Harvest program has donated over 80 million pounds of food, benefitting nearly 4,000 different charities and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
To learn more about the global citizenship and sustainability efforts of KFC and Yum! Brands, visit https://global.kfc.com/our-social-impact.
About KFC
KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.), is a global chicken restaurant brand with a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation. It all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. Today we still follow his formula for success, with real cooks breading and freshly preparing our delicious chicken by hand in more than 23,000 restaurants in over 135 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit https://global.kfc.com/.
Contacts
*For all media inquiries, please contact KFC Global:
Tori Carter, 972-338-7045, Tori.Carter@yum.com