McDonald's Give Back Day raises nearly $8,000 for 100 Club for first responders
Amarillo Area McDonald’s presented a check for $7,789 to the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle on Friday as part of its Give Back Day, which raises funds for local charities.
The promotion gave 5% of all sales to the 100 Club from April 30 at participating McDonald's locations in Canyon, Dumas, Dalhart, Borger, and Amarillo.
Stephanie Khayat, marking coordinator for McDonald’s, said that every quarter, her organization holds a Give Back Day to raise funds for a community charity. The program, which started in 2020, has raised over $80,000 for local nonprofits such as Amarillo Angels, the Downtown Women’s Center, and the High Plains Food Bank.
“Everybody loves the first responders; so many people were looking forward to this day when they could help those who serve them,” Khayat said.
Khayat expressed that the 100 Club was chosen because of the work it does for first responders in the Texas Panhandle.
“I had never known about all the work that this organization had before this campaign,” Khayat said. “After researching and speaking with Suzanne Talley (executive director for the 100 Club) and hearing the stories about all the good that the 100 Club does for the families of first responders, the way they stand with these families in times of need is impressive. Our owner did not hesitate when I put the idea before him to choose this organization.”
According to Khayat, this was the most raised for a cause with its Give Back Day promotion history.
“None of us would be here without the community, and this is our way of giving back to the community that supports us,” she said. “We do not succeed without the community.”
Talley thanked McDonald’s for choosing the 100 Club for Give Back Day and said donations like this make it possible to support their mission to help first responders in the Texas Panhandle. Due to the recent wildfires, the 100 Club has seen a greater demand for donations.
"‘We have been having a great time receiving and distributing donations for volunteer fire departments, and it's so important to have generous partners like this to serve our mission,” Talley said. “We started out with a wing and a prayer to help the ones hit the hardest, and our partners made it possible. We have had couples write us checks because firefighters saved their property. What we love about serving the area is kindness and generosity, not just every day, but when a catastrophe happens in our community."
Talley said that it is important to partner with businesses like this to get funding for volunteer fire departments and to be able to help first responder families right away in the case of death or injury.
“As one person said to me, it takes every single drop to fill a bucket," she said. “So, people might think I cannot help because I do not have that kind of money, but with programs like this, everyone can help. This is such a wonderful gift.”
To find out more about the 100 Club of the Texas Panhandle and its mission to help assist first responders, go to https://the100club.org/ .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: McDonald's Give Back Day raises $7,789 for 100 Club of Texas Panhandle
